Mr Locksley
by onceuponafanfiction1
Summary: OQ AU: Robin Locksley, a hot boss with a high temper, loses his assistant and current fiancée, Marian; he immediately sets out a search for a new one. Surprised when she walks in, Robin can't help but feast his eyes on her body, beauty, and sex appeal. What happens when Regina Mills becomes his assistant? It's time to tie her to the desk and get working. Prequel to "Daddy Locksley"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Wow, new story. I guess since the show is now back, I'm hoping to have more readers, especially because they will be yearning for some OQ. I'm also hoping that the show gives us some valuable OQ moments or, if not, at least some closure between the two.**

 **Hopefully you guys will enjoy this story. I will warn you that in some of the future chapters, it will get a little mature, if you know what I mean. And of course, I'll put a warning at the top of the chapter in case you don't want to read it.**

 **I usually post updates on my social media accounts which are csouatoq on both Twitter and Instagram.**

 **For now - I'll stop talking so you can go ahead and read, "Mr. Locksley".**

 **Enjoy it.**

* * *

 **One**

"How dare you threaten me like that?" Robin yelled across the room. He had just about had it with Marian, "After 7 years, you're just going to walk away?"

"That's what it looks like, doesn't it, Robin?" Marian said as she picked up her briefcase. She flung it open and shook all of the papers out, letting them disperse across the floor.

Robin stepped towards her and started to pick up the files, "Marian, at least take a minute to think about this. You're going to regret it."

She stopped and looked at him, "I already thought about it Robin, and it just has to end."

"I don't want you to leave," he said as she stood up and grabbed her hand, "I don't want to lose you."

"You already have, Robin." She said as she took her hand away and slid the engagement ring off of her finger.

Robin stared at the ring that was placed in the palm of his hand and said, "So you're leaving both of us? Me and your job?"

"The job was already decided, I told you the other day I had to go," she sighed and stepped through the doorway before looking back, "And you, well, I don't know what had happened but I can't feel the spark anymore."

She shut the door as she said her last words. Robin shoved the ring in his pocket and ran after her, meeting her at the front door and saying, "I can make the spark come back, please Marian. Don't go."

"It's for the best, Robin," she said, "I will always love you."

She handed him the key to his house and left a kiss on his cheek, something that he would never have again for a long time.

"Fine, just walk away like you always do!" He yelled.

She stopped and turned around, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

He stepped outside and walked over to her, "You're walking away. Again. Like you do from all of your problems."

"The job isn't my problem. You are, Robin," she said, "Ever since you proposed a few weeks ago, it seems like you've been acting so differently. It's crazy, actually."

"I am not acting differently, I'm acting the same I always do," he yelled back.

She shook her head, "You're temper is going insane, you're never on time and you snap when I ask you where you were, and you don't even act like the man I fell in love with!"

"Well you're no diamond either, _love_ ," Robin snapped, "In fact, I'm glad you're quitting and leaving me, I can't stand you anymore!"

"Me? I'm the one who is normal!"

He laughed and poked her shoulder, "No, you - you don't seem to ever want to be romantic, it's like you don't even love me. You never do the work that's assigned to you - in fact, I only kept you on the staff because you were my girlfriend. You are never home when I am and you do stupid shit like this all the time! You run away!"

"I'm done with this conversation, Robin," she scoffed, "Goodbye."

He watched as she crossed the street and got in her car, leaving behind all of their memories and saying goodbye to not only him, but the past 7 years they had known each other.

Robin had never expected to lose her. She had been something great in his life - the only great thing in his life. She was the sudden spark that made him go insanely soft and who opened his heart to new adventures. She opened his mind to newer and better things and now she was gone.

He was stupid to start up that argument, stupid to let his temper get the best of him. Now he was sure that he'd never see her again. If he had just let her go peacefully, maybe there would've been a future of friendship with her. Now there was no hope.

Robin spun on his heel and stormed back into the office building. His face was growing red and his fists were clenching. The workers in his way moved because they knew that anyone who got in his way, would receive hell. He just rolled his eyes at the workers who stared at him and whispered and ran into his office, locking the door behind him. He headed over to the computer and started typing up an ad for a new assistant.

It read:

 _Locksley Inc. is looking for a new assistant. Benefits include high pay, lunch breaks, manageable hours, and a beautiful office. In need of an organized, time-efficient, ready-to-work person._

 _Contact Robin Locksley at_ _rlocksley_ _or 777-898-6748_

He hit send as he clenched his fists once more. His took a deep breath and tried to calm down. But he knew from past experiences that his temper took a while to calm down. He sighed and went to the area where the papers remained spurred across the floor.

Robin bent down and picked them up, straightening her in his hand and ordering them back to the way they were originally. He placed them on his desk as he sighed and stuck his hand in his pocket. He pulled out the ring and stared at it. The diamond meant nothing to him anymore. She meant nothing to him anymore.

He twirled it around in his hand and strolled over to the window before opening it and throwing the ring out. The office being built right next to the ocean had its advantages. Then he walked over to the other door in his room which was the path to the conjoined office of his assistant - who as we all know recently vacated the area. He started to go through the things she left behind.

Robin came upon a picture of them two hugging. It was taken right after he proposed. He punched the glass and let it shatter in his hands, the shards falling to the ground and the picture popping out. He tore it in half and threw it in the trashcan before cleaning up the broken glass and rubbing his knuckles.

Before he knew it, all of her memories were flooding out of his mind, and he was somewhat calm. He sighed contently and shrugged to himself before he heard a ding on his computer. His head shot around as he ran back into his room. He saw an email notification pop up at the bottom of his screen. He walked over and clicked on it, reading the email that said:

 _Mr. Robin Locksley,_

 _It would be my pleasure to be your assistant. I have past working experience in an office and did an internship in college at the Gold Corporations. I would love to schedule an interview so I could present my credentials and skills to you. Please contact me with any questions._

 _Thank you for this opportunity._

 _Respectfully,_

 _Regina Mills_

He smiled as he finished reading the email. Maybe losing Marian wouldn't be too bad. He quickly replied:

 _Miss Regina Mills,_

 _I would love to schedule an interview with someone of your experience. How is tomorrow at noon for you?_

 _Robin Locksley_

He continued to clean his office before he heard another ding on his computer. He opened the email that said:

 _Mr. Locksley,_

 _That sounds perfect. See you then._

 _Regina Mills_

He clapped to himself as he shut off his email and logged off the computer. He decided to go home and prepare for tomorrow's day at work.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

"Good morning, Mr. Locksley," Snow said as he stood and followed him, "You got a message from Mr. Gold over at Gold Corporations about some Regina Mills, would you like me to recite it for you?"

Robin nodded.

"He says, 'Feisty, but brilliant, was an amazing worker here a few years ago. She may be young but she works to your highest expectations. Hire her, you won't regret it.'" Snow said as they both came to a stop and Robin turned to her.

"Thank you, Snow," he smiled and unlocked his office, "That'll be all."

She nodded and spun around, walking back to her desk in the lobby. Robin shook his head and laughed, could this Regina Mills be all that and more? Could she be this perfect assistant and worker that Gold had said her to be? Only one way to find out.

He plopped his briefcase and jacket on the couch before gliding over to his window and looking out. The clouds were getting heavier. He could sense that there was a storm coming, eventually. Robin turned as he heard a ding on his computer. He sat down to read his emails and checked the clock, which read 11:45.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door, "Come in."

Snow popped her head inside and said, "Your noon interview is here. Regina Mills?"

"Send her in." Robin said as he leaned back in his chair and waited.

He watched as the doorknob turned slightly and then stopped, before he heard a woman's voice that was unfamiliar to him through the door. He cleared his throat and sat up straight, leaning his elbows on the desk and quickly running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair. The door opened slightly and then completely, revealing _the_ Regina Mills.

Her hair was a rich shade of mahogany. It flowed in waves to adorn her glowing, olive-like skin. Her eyes, framed by long lashes, were a dark, but curious hazel, and seemed to brighten the world. A straight nose, full lips, high cheekbones, and a nice body - she seemed the picture of perfection. She was stunningly gorgeous, like a painting of a goddess brought to life. She smiled sweetly at him, her eyes sparkling like stars flaunted on the night sky.

"I'm Regina Mills, and you must be Mr. Locksley," she said as she stepped inside his office and slowly shut the door behind her.

She was a beautiful woman. She seemed highly practiced at seduction. Just by the look of her, her little show of cleavage, her raised eyebrow and small smirk, and her impeccable beauty overall, could bring a man to his hands and knees.

Robin cleared his throat and shut his eyes, "Yes, that's what my desk says."

 _Stupid comment._

She raised both of her eyebrows and bit her bottom lip before letting out a small laugh, "Pleasure to meet you."

Before he knew it, she came close to him and held out her hand, waiting to shake his. He processed her actions and grabbed her hand, shaking it and then inviting her to sit down, "I've heard a lot of things about you."

"All bad I hope," she said, but he didn't do anything but raise an eyebrow.

"That was a joke," she said, "Did Gold talk to you?"

Robin nodded, "How did you know?"

"He and I remained friends after I left the internship and finished college. Ever since I left, I've been working downtown, actually for three years, and he has always tried to get me these promotions because of 'how good I am'." She shrugged.

Robin raised an eyebrow, "Ah, I see. Shall we start the interview?"

She nodded.

"Alright, so first, I'm just going to ask you some simple questions about yourself," he said as he glanced down at her cleavage, gulping loudly and forcing himself to look away, "Where do you live? Like how close in proximity of this office building?"

"The apartments downtown, across from the spa," she said.

He nodded and wrote her answers down, "How old are you? How long do you have experience in this field?"

"I'm 27, interned at Gold Corporations for two and a half years beginning in my senior year of highschool, left them in my sophomore year of college," she looked up to him, "Then I got a job downtown in my junior year of college, graduated, spent a year there on my own, and now I'm here."

He stared at her and then nodded, "Why do you want this job?"

"I think I'm ready to move onto bigger and better things, Mr. Locksley," she smirked as she looked up to his eyes, "And I think that's you."

"Me?"

She corrected herself, "Well, your company."

He cleared his throat. Clearly, he was digging himself into a hole he would never get out of. Becoming distracted by a beautiful woman that he needed to hire was not in his best interest. The possibility of becoming _intimate_ with this woman would not be in his best interest.

The option of looking at this woman and not thinking anything _dirty_ \- that would be in his best interest.

But how was he supposed to do that when she looked _that_ good?

"Just write down your contact information on here, and I will get back to you later this evening," he said as he slid a paper in front of her with a pen. Her fingers skimmed his as she grabbed the pen and he instantly felt a shot of exhilaration through his entire body. He eyed her as she signed the paper with her perfect script and wrote down her phone number and email, something that now he would own himself.

"Is that all?" Regina said as she stood and held out her hand.

He stood as well then, "Yes, thank you for your time."

Robin met her hand and shook it, yet again feeling that shot go through his body. He cleared his throat again as she turned on her heel and said goodbye, before she made her way to the door and grabbed the doorknob, turning back to him.

"Thank you, Mr. Locksley."

She slipped through the doorway and shut the door behind her as Robin fell down into his chair and licked his lips. He shook his head and smirked to himself, "I'm in a lot of trouble."

* * *

 _That night..._

Regina peeked down at her phone as she heard it ringing. She picked it up and answered the call, "Hello?"

 **Mrs. Mills?**

"Miss, actually, but yes this is she." She said.

 **Sorry. You're hired.**

"You will not regret it, sir, when should I be in?"

 **Tomorrow morning, 7 sharp. I'll train you for an hour and then you'll be on your own. Bring some coffee, you'll need the energy.**

"Thank you. See you then, Mr. Locksley."

* * *

 _The next morning…_

Regina flattened her skirt as she stepped out of her Red Mustang, slipping the keys into her Micheal Kors bag and flipping her hair out of her face. She curled the strands in between her fingers and puckered her lips before applying a layer of lip balm. Within the next seconds, she crossed the street and made her way to the front door, before taking a deep breath and strutting inside.

She pulled off her sunglasses and slipped them inside her bag as she continued to walk down the hallway and to the lobby's front desk.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" the secretary said.

"Hi, how are you? I'm Regina Mills, Mr. Locksley's new assistant," she said.

The secretary stood up. She was short and skinny, with a dark brown pixie cut and brown eyes. She smiled and held her hand out, "The name's Mary Margaret, but people around here call me Snow, so feel free to. It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Mills."

Regina shook Snow's hand, "Please, call me Regina, and the pleasure is all mine."

"Lucky gal, working for Mr. Locksley," Snow smiled as she came around her desk and motioned for Regina to follow her down the hallway. She pulled out a pair of keys from her pocket and unlocked the door, which led to a dark room. Before turning the lights on, she handed Regina the keys.

Snow pulled her inside and flipped on the lights, revealing a giant and beautiful office. The walls were painted a light gray, which were beautifully accented with black and white furniture and a red rug. Along with that, there was a couch and TV set, with a large window that covered one of the walls entirely and had a great view of the city. Regina gasped at the sight and flinched as the door, which was connecting her office to Robin's, swung open.

"I gather you fancy it?" Robin said as he carefully shut the door behind him and strolled to the center of the room.

Regina let her mouth drop and just nodded.

"Here is your sign in and your pass," Snow said as she went to the door, "Come talk to me when you have time. Good luck, Regina."

With that, Snow left and there was only the silence between Regina and Robin.

"It's beautiful," she said.

He smiled out the window and crossed his hands behind his back, "Thank you, I designed it myself."

"You have a wonderful taste," she said as he spun around and raised an eyebrow, "I mean, you know, you have an eye for design, not that you have a good, um not like that, like, you know what I mean."

He laughed as her cheeks grew red, "I'll let that slip, you'll have to deal with my jokes all the time anyways."

"Looking forward to them," she said with a smile. He strolled over to her and handed her a folder.

She gave him a confused look as he spoke, "This is all the basic information, the phone shortcuts, emails, all that stuff, if you need anything, I'm literally a wall away."

"That's _good_ for me," she said as she rolled her tongue, not realizing that it came out that way. She raised her hand to her mouth and gave him and innocent look before they fell into a laughing fit.

"So training?" He cleared his throat.

"Yes, training." she laughed and straightened herself.

* * *

 **Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, I guess you guys really liked this prompt. I am assuming that you'll want another chapter sooner or later, but with my schedule I can't really promise how quickly the update will be posted. However, I will let you know that I am trying my best everyday to add a little writing in here or there so I can update quickly.**

 **With that, I bid you good luck.**

 **Kisses.**

* * *

 **Two**

Robin walked over to her desk and sat down in the spiny chair, twirling around in a circle before coming to a complete stop and staring at her. She was giving him a suspicious look before he burst into laughter, "What, you've never had fun before?"

"Not _that_ type of fun," she quickly replied as she strolled over to the other side of the desk and leaned on it. He looked up to her as his eyes grew smaller and raised an eyebrow.

"Ms. Mills, I don't believe that type of talk is appropriate for the office." He smirked.

She laughed and stood back up, "Of course not, sir, no more games."

He motioned for her to come behind the desk by him as he scooted towards the computer. Robin pointed to the screen and said, "This is your login, don't lose it and don't give it out to anyone. No one should know it."

"You know it, don't you?" she sassed.

He shrugged, "I know everything about my workers."

"Do you now?" She said, spinning on her heels and leaning back against the window behind her. She crossed her ankles and cocked her head to the side a little, leaving him curious of what she meant.

He gulped to himself and nodded, " _Everything_ , yes."

As he said that, shivers went down her spine. He sent her a desirable smirk and glared at her before scanning her body with his feasting eyes. She felt power over herself, power in which she wanted so badly to give into. She pushed herself off of her window and towards him as he stood, not knowing that he would stand at that exact moment.

Their bodies met contact in a split second; their heads and lips inches apart from the other's and their bodies aching for the other's. Not one of them made a move until Regina slowly lifted her head and gazed at his lips and then up to his eyes as he said, "You should probably getting unpacking."

As he cleared his throat, she stepped away and rushed to the couch, where her bags and coat were, before picking them up and placing them on her desk. She began to distribute what was in the bags and didn't acknowledge his exit. Only when she heard the door lock click, was the moment she felt calm again.

* * *

Back story on Regina is there is no backstory. In the past, she has made some bad decisions - no - terrible decisions. During her college days, which was at the time she was still working downtown, she went to clubs every night, drinking out the bar and picking up guys where she could. She's bring them home to her fancy apartment in the expensive part of town and give them the time of their life, so to say. She tried to forget all that though.

But one cannot forget the past. The past is what sculpts the future, what brings you to be who you are.

Regina needed to accept the fact that she made some bad decisions, and she did.

 _But she just kept making them._

She recently broke up with a man who went by the name of Daniel. He was handsome in all the right places, made her happy, did her right, but she just wasn't getting enough out of the relationship. She needed more. She wanted passion and adventure with danger and risk. He couldn't provide her with that.

She put down her journal as she heard a knock on the interconnecting door. Within seconds, the thoughts of the past flew from her mind and she hid her journal under some pillows.

"Come in," she said, "It's unlocked."

She stood up and straightened herself as the door opened, revealing Robin. His shirt was unbuttoned a little and untucked and his tie was nowhere to be seen.

"Ms. Mills," he said as he walked in and shut the door behind him, "Every year when we hire someone new, they have to go through, what I'd like to call, initiation."

"And what might that be, Mr. Locksley?"

He folded his hands in front of him and stopped in the middle of the room, "On the first Thursday night they work, they must stay after and clean out the file cabinets. It is an exhausting task and no one really enjoys doing it, but as I said before, everyone _has_ done it."

"So, since today is Thursday, does that mean I have to clean them out?"

He smirked, "I hope you brought comfortable clothes,"

"How could I have known I would be staying here?" she laughed, "How long?"

"Your shift gets off at 7:30, so possibly 9? 10 at the latest?"

She sighed but nodded as well, "Alright. See you when I check out."

He spun around and smirked to himself before leaving the room.

* * *

 _7:40pm_

She took a deep breath before placing her bags down on the couch and knocking on the interconnecting door, "Mr. Locksley?"

He opened the door and invited her in, "Robin, call me Robin, at least outside of work."

"Alright, _Robin_ , where shall I start?"

"You can follow me." He said.

She nodded and paused before she started to unbutton her blazer and pull it off her shoulders. He gulped and stared at her.

"What, never seen a woman undress before?"

He cleared his throat, "Well, I-"

"Nevermind, I know the answer, considering-"

"Considering what?" He said as she wrapped the blazer on her arm. The sight of her was radiant. Her blouse was merely a tank top; it was cropped and cut just above her belly button so he could see her abdomen. It was a dark fuchsia color and behind it hid a black lace bra, which he could see the ends of. He gulped again as she spun around to return her blazer to her room, her hips swaying side to side and her back, completely revealed - the tank top was a low cut one that buttoned at the small of her back. The rest of it was open. It tied at the top around her neck.

When she came back she answered him, "Considering how you look, I mean."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He said as he stepped towards her a little, with a hungry gaze.

"It means that you're," she struggled to find words but then just let it out, "Good looking enough to get a woman."

He laughed when her cheek grew red, "Any woman I want?"

"Any woman you want." She reassured him.

"Even you?"

She froze as he winked and began to walk out of his office, leaving her to imagine the unthinkable. With a low gulp, she shook her head and followed him to the file cabinet in the basement.

When they arrived, silence filled the air for a good five minutes until Robin finally spoke and cleared the awkwardness, "Sorry about before, I got a little carried away."

"It's not an issue, Robin," she said, "I wasn't offended."

"Well, that's good. I would never want to offend you." He smiled as he unlocked the file cabinets and pulled out the files, dropping them on the floor. He nodded as he began to help her, not that he planned to because he never helped the new workers. But Regina had something that made him _want_ to help her.

"So, do you enjoy file sorting?" he asked as he began to pull out all the As and sort them according to last name.

She gave him a look which made him laugh, "Seriously?"

"Just trying to get to know the work you."

She let out an 'ah' and then silence came back for a few minutes. He laughed as she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

He simply nodded as they moved down to the next section, the Bs.

"Aljacklyn Baultly, what a name." he said as he pushed the file to the side.

She laughed at him, "Don't make fun of people!"

"Awe, why not? No one can hear us."

"That's like me saying Robin Locksley, what a name!" she replied at him as her hand instinctively hit him playfully.

"Are you saying my name is funny?"

"Yes, yes I am." she laughed.

"It's not my fault my mother chose it! If I was alive, I would have changed it!" he said, laughing at her and pushing her over to the Cs.

"Calm down, Robin. I'm only joking." she smiled at him.

"Alright, alright." They calmed down for a while as they finished the Cs and the Ds.

"Who names their child Entenmann?" he said, looking at a file.

"Hey, don't criticize," she laughed, "that's a very good bakery company."

He laughed at her, "I've never heard of it."

"Well, I'll have to bring you to one sometime." she smiled at him, not realizing how pink her cheeks were.

"Sounds like a plan."

By that time, they were done with Es, and Fs were only two people. Now were the Gs.

She bent down and her skirt rode up her legs, showcasing their muscles and tone for Robin's eyes to feast on. He quickly tried to look away but she caught him and smirked, " _Robin…_ "

As he looked up to her eyes, he said, "I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"Robin, it's fine. All men are the same-"

"What do you mean?"

She stood up and flattened her skirt back to its original length, "I mean that they all love a woman for her body and for nothing else; they don't see past looks."

"I don't just see the looks in a woman," he said, "Sorry if I offended you by making you think so."

"Oh, _please_ , Robin. I take no offense; in fact, I rather enjoy a man who loves a lady for her looks, even if it's a bit more than his love for her as a person." She quickly snapped back and shrugged.

He gulped and shook his head. Did she just say what he thought she had said?

She turned her head slightly over her shoulder as she crouched back down, holding her skirt this time, "Oh, don't act like a gentleman now."

"I think I'm receiving mixed signals here, Regina," he said as he bent down beside her and continued taking out the files.

When she turned around, she grabbed the file he had in his hand and pulled them towards her body, her face leaning in and stopping right next to his ear, "You know what you heard."

As the shivers were sent down his spine, he suddenly had the urge to grab her and kiss her, but something told him it was a bad idea. _At least right now it was._

She backed away and continued to clean out the files, organizing them and putting them back in their original spots. He would occasionally sneak a peek at her, feasting his eyes on her widely exposed cleavage that was barely hidden by the thin layer of cropped tank she had on. He'd lick his lips after turning back to himself, and smirked as he knew she noticed how he reacted to her body.

"Alright, I think that's all of them," she said as she began to stand up, "It's already 11:30."

He grabbed her hand to pull her up beside him, "Wow, didn't realize it was that late."

She nodded as she followed him out of the file closet, and back to his office to get her things. He unlocked the door and went in after her, watching as she bent down to pick up her bags and jacket. She stood up and flipped her hair around, catching his wandering eyes, "You know, you can just say it out loud."

"Say what?" He cleared his throat.

"Say what you want to say," she looked up to him and tucked her hair behind her ear, "What you've wanted to say all night."

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, Regina?" he gulped loudly and started to lean back against his desk. She put her bags on his couch as she strolled towards him and folded her hand infront of her body.

When she stopped right in front of him, she said, "What you've been thinking."

"I don't follow," he gulped and cleared his throat.

She leaned into his personal space and placed a hand on his abs, "About _me._ "

He tried to resist, he truly did. He couldn't help but look down at her, her dark eyes that were filled with sparkling desire. He smirked as he grabbed her wrist and said, "I'm not sure you want to hear it."

"I want much more than to just hear it," she let slip out.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

He loosened his grip on her wrist and put his free hand on the small of her back, pulling her towards him and against his body. He then, spun them around so that she was against the desk.

"Say it, Robin," she said, "Just say it."

He looked down at her whole body, scanning it with her eyes, every square inch, and licking his lips before returning his gaze to her intrigued eyes.

"Alright," he cleared his throat and leaned in so that their lips were inches away, "I want to tear all of your clothes off right now and kiss every square inch of your body."

"Is that all," she replied, " _Mr. Locksley?_ "

He took he hand off the small of her back and pushed the things off of his desk, letting them fall and crash on the floor. Within another second, he pushed her down onto the desk and let his hands roam, "You don't mind, do you?"

Her eyes followed his hands, which were now holding rope, "Not at all, do as you please."

He smirked as he began to tie her wrists to the drawer handles so that she couldn't go anywhere.

In the next minute, he was on top of her and unbuttoning his shirt as she spoke, "Aren't you glad you admitted it?"

* * *

 **A/N: REVIEW, PLEASE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello all! Finally back with another, heated chapter! This one took some time but the result is good... if you have any questions, leave them in the review section.**

 **Kisses and good luck!**

* * *

Regina was dressed in a burgundy turtleneck and black leggings. She complemented this outfit with black heels that were higher than her usual ones. Her makeup was done a little more today, and she applied a more dangerously dark red lipstick. He hair was somewhat curled and she smelt like apple cinnamon. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and flipped her hair as she stood straight. She strutted towards the door, walking in some sort of swagger that rocked her hips side to side. As she stepped inside the building, she slid her sunglasses off her face and licked her lips. She walked down the hallways, waving to her other coworkers and smiling at them. She stepped into the elevator and waited for it to open on her floor. As it did, she smiled and stepping out, walking down the hallway once more, getting jealous looks from other women, and getting winks from men. She stopped at the sign in desk and smiled at the secretary, as she wrote her name. When she finished, she spun on her heels and strutted to her office, taking her coat off in the process.

She shut the door behind her and threw her jacket on the couch before hearing a door click open behind her.

"What a good morning it is..." Robin's husky voice sounded through the room.

She didn't turn around, "Indeed, I guess it is."

She heard his footsteps coming towards her right before she felt his hands on her waist, "How was your sleep?"

"My sleep was fine, thank you," she said as she turned to face him.

"You're wearing a turtleneck," he said as he brushed his fingers across the thick materials covering her neck.

She smirked as she pulled the material to reveal the marks he left on her skin last night, "It would be terrible for the both of us if anyone saw them."

"When are you free to _work_?" He said as he rubbed her sides with his hands.

She shrugged and played with her hands behind her back, "Not sure, when do you want me to be free to _work_?"

He looked up as he smirked and winked at her, before giving her a small squeeze and backing up toward her desk. He lifted up her tape dispenser and shook it in the air before looking at her, "Tonight okay?"

She bit her lip and nodded before he left the room without returning her tape dispenser to its original home.

Regina giggled to herself as she strolled over to her desk and sat down in the chair, beginning to look through her emails. Then she heard a knock.

Snow peeped her head inside and smiled toward Regina, "Morning, Regina, how are you?"

Regina looked up and smiled at the short woman, "Great, and you?"

"Actually, a little rough. I need your help really quick, if you don't mind?" She asked. Regina nodded quickly before following Snow into the lobby.

She watched as Snow bent down to the ground and started to clean the many papers that were dispersed all over the floor. Regina bent down beside her and helped her collect them, "What happened?"

"Mr. Locksley didn't agree with my pitch," she reluctantly let out, "He gets a little angry sometimes, but we all learn to cope with it."

Regina froze when Snow finished speaking.

"You alright?" Snow asked.

Regina nodded, "Just a little hot, I guess."

"That's because of that silly turtleneck you have on. It's like sixty degrees outside." Snow laughed as she rubbed Regina's arm. Regina laughed with her as she stood and placed the papers on Snow's desk. When she spun around, she caught eye contact with Robin through the glass wall that cut him off from the lobby. She froze in her stance and eyed him as Snow stood next to her and followed her eye contact.

"Why you two staring each other down?" Snow ask as she spun towards her desk, "It looks like you've slept together and think it was a mistake."

Regina turned her head toward Snow before Snow spoke, "Kidding. It was a joke. You can laugh, Regina."

Regina laughed and said, "So, he gets mad easily?"

She turned back toward him and connected their eyes again as Snow spoke, "I'm not sure that I would say he gets mad easily; I think it's more that he just likes what he likes, and if you can't provide him with that, then you better watch out. Marian wasn't so fortunate."

"So if you upset him-"

"Then you get lynched," Snow said as Regina stared at her wide eyed, "Joke, again. Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

"Yeah, of course," she laughed, "I guess I better keep him happy then."

Snow elbowed her lightly, "Considering your his assistant, you better pay extra attention and be extra careful with how you act around him."

"But for the whole week I've been here, he's been so courteous and kind to me," she sighed as she turned back to Robin and smiled softly, "I would never expect him to act like that."

"The ones you least expect are the ones you should be most afraid of," Snow said as she finished straightening the papers, "Anyway, thank you for your help."

Regina nodded but didn't turn to her, "Thanks for your advice with Rob-, I mean, Mr. Locksley."

Snow rubbed her shoulder and smiled as she pushed her lightly back to her office and sat down in her chair. Regina didn't think twice before running back into her office and shutting the door behind her. She leaned back on it and let her long breath out like she had just ran a marathon. She rubbed her neck as she pushed herself off the door and strolled over to the couch. Before sitting down, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. In the next few minutes, she was in a deep sleep that wasn't allowed during work hours.

/-/

" _You're so tense, babe, relax a little." Robin whispered in her ear as he began to massage her shoulders. He hummed in her ear and started to kiss the skin behind it as his rubbing got a little rougher._

" _You like that?" He asked. She nodded and sighed contently as she threw her head back, closing her eyes and smiling in the process. He slowed down his massage and kissed her lips before her eyes blinked open._

" _Robin, what if someone sees us?" She said as she played with his hands, "Or worse, hears us?"_

 _He laughed, "I'm sure we'll be fine, love."_

" _I can't put my job on the line, Robin." she said as she stopped playing with his hands and stared toward the fireplace._

 _He took his hands away and rounded the couch, sitting down next to her and caressing her cheek, "I'm your boss, love, I won't fire you."_

 _She gave him a look._

" _Stop worrying and relax," he said as his hand found the top of her turtleneck. He stuck his fingers in between the material so that he could touch her soft skin, the same spot where he had left marks the night before._

 _She giggled at his touch, "That tickles."_

" _Aren't you a little hot in that? It's sixty degrees out and you have the fireplace on," Robin said as he continued to rub her skin with his finger._

 _She nodded and looked toward him, "Of course, I'm hot, but you know, with these marks I can't-"_

" _We're behind closed doors, no one can see you."_

 _Regina stared at him, seeing the dark desire brewing up in his eyes. She gazed down to his lips before replying, "I guess you're right."_

" _I always am," He smirked as she shifted her body forward, grabbing the bottom of the turtleneck and pausing, "Why did you stop?"_

 _She turned toward him and held her hands in front of him, "You would have much more fun doing it yourself, wouldn't you?"_

 _His eyes grew hungry as he reached for the bottom of her shirt, slowly pulling it over her head and revealing her tanned body. He placed his hands on her abdomen, feeling up all the way up to her collarbones and then back down again just above her leggings, "You're beautiful."_

 _She placed a finger under his chin and leaned into, placing her lips on his and starting a passionate, but tender kiss._

 _They fell onto the couch as Robin pulled her closer, continuing their heated kiss. He moved his hand down her body as she moved her leg, wrapping it around his body. He paused a moment, studied her, and allowed her to pull his shirt off. She studied his chiseled abs, running her hands across his strong chest, along the thin patches of chest hairs he had. She smiled before they continued to kiss. He unclasped her bra letting it fall the floor. She began to kiss his neck, lowering down to his stomach, as she unbuckled his belt, throwing it to the ground. She unbuttoned his pants, as he kicked off his shoes, pushing her back onto the couch, trying to be dominant. She giggled as he grabbed her hand, holding it above her head, kissing her neck, her collarbone, her ear, her breasts, her stomach, down to her pubic bone. He slid off her lace panties and…_

/-/

"Regina?"

 _He rubbed her legs until he reached her inner thighs…_

"Regina, wake up!"

 _She bit her lip as she yelled his name and her need, "Robin, please!"_

"Robin, please!"

She sat up as her eyes flashed open, her head clunking Robin's.

"Regina, what the hell?" Robin said, "Why were you calling for me?"

"Oh my god, oh my god," she stood up and rubbed her eyes, pacing around the office, "I can't believe you just heard that."

He stood and held his arms open, "Well, you're lucky that only I did. You're very loud, Miss Mills."

She brushed her shoulders and cleared her throats before making eye contact with him, "What _exactly_ did you hear?"

He chuckled, "Just you calling out my name, that why I came in here. I thought you needed me."

"Oh, I needed you alright…" she muttered to herself.

"What?"

"Hm, nothing, nevermind," she cleared her throat again, "I was just sleeping."

He smirked and strolled towards her, "Were you dreaming?"

"No, of course not."

He laughed, "Regina, were you dreaming about me?"

She looked toward the ground and shook her head before fidgeting with her fingers, "I may or may not have let you come into the dream for a split second…"

"What was I doing in your dream that made you so sexily call out my name?" He said as he came towards her and brushed her hair behind her ear.

She rolled her eyes, "Get to work, Robin."

"I'm your boss, not the other way around, love," he smirked, "Get back to work; save your sex fantasies for later."

When he left, shivers went down her spine and she let out a shallow breath. No one knows the effect he gives her.

/-/

Regina gazed at the clock that hung in her wall. It read 7:30pm. She sighed as she rubbed her eyes and stood from her desk chair, straightening the papers that were dispersed all over her desk and logging out of her computer. With another sigh, but a longer one this time, she walked over to her bag and packed up, grabbing her jacket in the process and locking her door as she went out. She walked over to the lobby front desk, where no one was sitting any longer.

Regina was the last one there, as always.

She signed her name and spun around on her heel, bumping into Robin.

"Can I help you, Mr. Locksley?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

He smirked and put his hand behind his back, "You're leaving already?"

"Yes, have an early shift tomorrow morning," she replied as she stepped aside and began to walk past him. She felt his hand on her arm as he pulled her to stop and turned her around so that he could grab her jacket out of her hand. He held it infront of her, waiting for her to step inside of it.

She nodded her thanks and kept moving before he disappeared into his office and moments later, reappeared next to her.

"I guess I'll go home, too, then," he said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What were you and Snow talking about earlier?" he said, "When you kept looking over to me with those big, beautiful eyes?"

She bit her lip and avoided his eye contact, "It was a mixture of things, I'd say."

"Specifics?" He said as they stepped outside. It was snowing hard. The roads were covered and the cars were hard to find. It was chilly and you could feel the ice being built on the roads.

"My job, her job, your job, work, life in general, Marian, a client, lunch dates-"

"Marian?" He said as came to a stop and his hand found her arm.

She closed her eyes as she turned to him and opened them again, "Yes, Marian."

"She told you about her?"

Regina nodded, "Vaguely, I assume."

He nodded as he heard his phone beep, checked the screen and noticed that several roads were closed off from the snow. He reached for his keys and honked his horn to find his car.

"What did she say exactly?" Robin said as he sighed.

"She just told me that you two were very close, close for years on, and then something happened with you, and you two broke up," she shrugged, "That's it."

Robin rubbed his forehead and sighed, "I'm not going to keep secrets from you, so I'll just let you know the whole story."

"I hate to cut you off, but I'm kind of standing out in the cold snow, and I have to get home-"

"Oh no, you're not driving in this weather," Robin said, "I'll drive you home."

She shook her head, "It's fine, I've driven in these conditions before."

"That's because you didn't know me back then," he warned as he lead her over to his hot mustang and helped her inside. He ran over to the other side and hopped in, starting the car and blasting the heat.

They began to drive slowly as Robin let out, "So, about Marian. She and I have known each other since high school, we were a couple back in our senior year. We went to the same college, were still dating when we graduated. I started this business and made her my assistant."

Regina just listened but didn't turn to face him.

"I actually proposed to her about two months ago," he gulped, waiting for a more dramatic reaction from Regina, but all she did was nod, "But she left me a week later."

Regina turned and her mouth dropped, "I'm sorry."

"It was my fault why she left," he said, "Plus, if she hadn't had left, I wouldn't be talking to you here right now."

He turned down a street and came to a stop sign that said, _ALL ROADS FURTHER THAN THIS POINT ARE CLOSED._

"Any alternate route in mind?" Robin asked.

Regina sighed, "Nope. That's the only way; I'll just have to walk."

As Regina unbuckled her seatbelt, Robin stopped her and said, "You're not walking in this. If I didn't let you drive in this, I'm sure as hell not letting you walk in this."

"So what do you think I should do then?" She said.

"I have a spare room you could crash in for tonight, snow should stop later and the roads should be clear by the morning," he suggested.

She was hesitant, "I better not."

"Regina, I'm not going to let you sleep outside or anything preposterous like that," he said.

She buckled back up as she sighed, "Alright, let's get to it then."

He backed up and started to drive to his house.

"Marian was a beautiful, smart, woman; we wanted a family," he said.

"Why did she leave you?" Regina let out, "If you don't mind me asking?"

He rubbed his head and sighed, "I have a slight problem, my temper is a little faulty, but I've learned to control it."

She nodded, "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Why?"

"Snow warned me about getting into 'your mess'. She said that it would be better to be friends than anything else," Regina admitted.

Robin nodded, "I figured. Well, I'm trying to change here, and if you want to be part of that change, be my guest."

She looked to him as he pulled into his driveway, "I do; I want to be part of your change."

He slowed down the car in front of a gate as he turned to her and caressed her cheek, pulling her into a soft, sweet kiss, rather than what he'd usually give her. She smiled as the kiss ended and he backed away, "Let's get out of the cold, John, gates please!"

Large gates opened in front of them, before he turned and drove through them, pulling up into a long driveway that lead to a gigantic house. It was magnificent. Beautiful in every way. It was painted a dark grey with black accents. Large windows, tall pillars, and two big doors that were a dark red. Her eyes grew big at the sight, " _This_ is where you live?"

"You'll love it, let's go."

* * *

 **Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yo, this chapter goes pretty far for maturity, so if you don't want to read it, skip to the line. Anyways, OUAT is back and it's good so far. Hope you enjoy this.**

 **Kisses**.

* * *

He held the door for her as she ran inside, desperate to get out of the snow. She laughed as she came to a stop and her jaw dropped at the sight of the inside. The black and white linoleum floor of the entrance glowed, obviously having been cleaned before she came. Stairs lay across the room, climbing toward the ceiling. A doorway was on either side of the room, one admitting you into the kitchen, the other into the living room. The walls were a dark green with silver brush swipes crossing over it, creating a shimmer effect. He noticed her awe, "You like what you see?"

"It's beautiful, Robin," she said, "Absolutely beautiful."

He laughed as he took her jacket from her, hanging it in the coat closet behind them and then coming behind her to place a hand on the small of her back. She turned her head the slightest when she felt it tighten on her waist but then turned her head straight back to the beauty of his home. Robin gave her a gentle push and lead her through the right doorway, into a light brown painted room with a giant fireplace and hanging TV. It had four couches, two coffee tables, and big windows on the walls that showcased the pool and jacuzzi that were just outside the house. She paused in her stance and then walked over to the fireplace, holding her hands out, and humming in the heat.

"It feels good to be warm again," she sighed contently.

He followed her and elbowed her side lightly, "Don't your feet hurt from being in those high heels for over eight hours?"

She shook her head, "No pain, no gain."

"You can take them off, you know," he shrugged as he turned to the fireplace, "No need to feel awkward, considering-"

"Yes, yes, I understand," she said as she went to sit down on the couch and slowly pulled off her heels. He watched her unbuckle them and slip them off her feet, placing them beside the couch and flipping her hair out of her face before standing and returning to his side. She turned her head and looked up to him, fluttering her eyelashes and smiling.

He cleared his throat, "It's late, I better show you to your room."

She nodded and followed him up the spiral stairs that were in the corner of the room. When they made it up there, he led her down a long hallway and opened the door to a huge, red painted room. It had a king sized bed with a black dresser and mirror combination. On the one wall, was a walk-in closet she assumed, and on the other, a TV that hung above a smaller fireplace. She gasped at the sight of it, letting her hands find her mouth to properly cover it. Yet again, Robin laughed and pushed her inside.

He walked over to the closet and opened the door, "I'm not sure if you would rather wear my clothes or not, but these are some clothes that Marian left behind, just to give you something to sleep in."

She nodded and took the pair of shorts and t shirt from his hands before laying it across the bed, "Thank you, I'm sure these will be sufficient enough for one night."

"Right, one night. I'll let you get to it," he said as he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. When she was sure he had walked away, she reached for the zipper of her dress, before she soon realized that she couldn't. She groaned to herself, knowing that she was going to cross the line with what she was about to do, but she did it anyways.

Regina peeked her head out of the door and called for him, "Robin?"

He came from down the hall, from what she assumed was his bedroom, and stopped in front of her, "Yes?"

"I can't reach the zipper," she said without making eye contact.

"Ah, alright," he said as he spun her around and found the zipper. He slowly pulled it down to its end, which was just under the small of her back, revealing her lace bra and toned back. The top of her panties were peeking out and Robin couldn't help but notice and clear his throat, "There you are."

"Thank you," she said, turning her head over her shoulder and nodding. He nodded as she stepped inside the room, sending him a quick look and closing the door behind her. He stood still for a second before he returned to his bedroom.

When she heard his footsteps fade away, she let the dress fall to the floor. Why she was being so protective over her bare body, she didn't know - especially when they've already seen each other like that. She pulled the shorts up her legs and the t-shirt over her head before fluffling her hair to its correct volume and neatly folding up her clothes for the next morning. She gave a quick look in the mirror before unlocking the door and slipping into the hallway, letting her bare feet meet the wooden planks and her hands skim the freshly painted walls. Regina came to a stop when she reached his bedroom door. It was slightly open and she could smell his cologne from the hallway. She peeked through the small space between the door and the door frame and saw Robin's bare, toned, and full of muscles back. She quietly gasped to herself, obviously not quiet enough, since Robin spun around, sending her against the wall and holding her breath. She heard his footsteps get louder as she quickly ran to the spiral staircase and down it, jumping onto the couch and straightening her body across it.

"Regina, I know you were up there, looking through my door," he laughed as he pulled a t-shirt over his head.

She raised and eyebrow, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Alright, whatever you say, love," he raised his hands to surrender before traveling through the room and into the kitchen, "You want some wine?"

"Um," she froze, "I guess if you're having some."

He came back a few minutes later with the bottle under his left arm and a glass in each of his hands, "For you, milady."

"Thank you." She said before taking a sip. Robin came beside her and lifted her legs, so he could sit under them, letting them end up on top of his lap.

She sat there and let him do so without saying anything before she flipped her hair and began to speak, "Thank you for letting me crash here."

"Well what kind of boss would I be if I let my employee sleep on the streets in the two degree weather?" he joked before sipping his wine.

"Boss/employee isn't exactly how I'd describe our relationship," she said.

He turned his head and raised his eyebrow, "How would you describe it then?"

"Not sure, you?"

"Hmmm, well recently it's been all fun and games, but like I said, I'm trying to change," he said, "So-"

"So then, I potentially can come out in the future and not be labeled as your 'sex toy' then, huh?" She joked.

He gave her a look before she said, "Joke, joke. I enjoy it."

She placed her empty glass on the coffee table and then leaned back into the couch. He started to stare at her and study her face, "Wow, you're beautiful."

"I think the wine has gotten to you," she laughed, "I'm not as beautiful as you think."

"Have another glass," he said to her, "Chug it, you won't."

"I won't, huh?" She said as he poured her another glass. Regina picked it up and stared at it before she downed the entire thing and placed the empty glass on the coffee table, "Just did."

"I'm impressed, Ms. Mills." He smirked as his hands landed on her legs.

"Can I make a confession?" She turned to him. He nodded as she continued, "I really like you, and your handsomeness, and how you kiss."

He laughed as she folded her legs behind her and scooted towards him.

"And, and, and, I enjoy spending time with you." She pointed to him and he leaned closer to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Is it my turn to confess something now?"

"Mhm."

"Well, I find you one of the most stunning, brilliant women I have ever met."

She smiled at his confession.

"I see. Well, Mr. Locksley, I think it's late, and I'm very tired."

"Well, you should go to sleep then."

She nodded as she stood up from the couch, slowly walking over to the doorway. She tripped over her feet, causing Robin to stand up and guide her to her room.

"The second door on the right," she said, "The last one."

"Yes, I know, it is my house after all." He laughed.

She laughed with him, "Oh yeah."

He opened the covers for her as she slipped in and said, "Lay with me."

"I was usually jump at the offer, but-"

"No buts, come here, hot stuff." She said.

"Regina," he replied, "I'm not going to seduce you while you're under the influence."

She giggled, "But you're not the one who's going to do the seducing, love."

She crawled to the end of the bed and pulled at his shirt, slipping her hands underneath the thin fabric and roaming across his chest and abs. He felt shivers and let out a shallow breath, "Regina, you know this isn't a good idea,"

"Don't be the gentleman now, not while I'm trying to get you against me," she hissed. In another second, she pulled him toward her, letting her lips find his neck and starting to suck the soft skin. He tried to stand still and resist it, but it wasn't working. Robin's hands found her waist as she growled, "Come, don't refuse my offer."

She licked his neck up to his jawline and left little kisses across his entire jawline until he found himself smiling and forgetting about her vulnerability. His grip tightened on her waist as his hand slipped under the large t-shirt she had on, letting his fingers and palms warms up the cold skin hiding underneath. She shuddered at his touch before whispering, "Let's get to it, shall we?"

Her hands found his cheeks as she pulled him forward, connecting their lips in a kiss that was more rough than they usually had shared. His tongue requested access to her mouth and she willingly granted it, as he granted her access as well. He led kisses down her jawline to her collarbones as she hummed. Robin grabbed the collar of the shirt and ripped it, straight down the center, whipping it off of her body and throwing it to the floor. His eyes grew as he saw her in her lace bra and then he suddenly grew hungry with desire. She licked her lips before reclaiming his lips in a quick motion, as his hands quickly undid her bra, letting it fall onto the bed and soon forgetting about it. The kiss grew more intense as she began to grind against him, her body in such a motion that not even he could resist. She pulled his shirt over his head and threw it to the door, before she reached down to the top of his pants and slipped her fingers inside, palming his tool. He moaned in her mouth as he too grabbed the band of her shorts and pulled them down off her legs, taking her parties with them in the process. He stared at her wide eyed, studying ever part of her bare body before throwing her down to the bed and beginning to kiss every square inch of her body. He left warm kisses from her ear down to her pubic bone and smiled when she let out small moans. His fingers found her core as began to work, making her arch her back and shudder.

"Robin, I-"

"Yes, Regina?"

"I need-"

"What do you need, love?" He groaned, "Let me hear it." He quickly stripped himself of his sweatpants and boxers.

"I need you."

As the last word came out of her mouth, he entered her, slowly at first and then all at once, before he started to thrust even faster and harder.

"Tell me if it's too much," he said.

"It's never too much," she said as she shut her eyes, "Oh my god, yes."

He smiled as he leaned into her, kissing and sucking her neck again.

"Robin, harder, oh my god." She moaned in his ear and he smiled at her pleasure.

"There?"

"Yes, there," she started breathing heavily until she finally came, "Oh my god, that was-"

"Sexy?"

She opened her eyes and stared at him, the sweat dripping from his face onto her bare body, "That and much more."

He closed the space between them and kissed her lips once more, in a more long and passionate way, rather than a rough, demanding one. Robin fell down beside her and stared up to the ceiling, "Get some sleep, early shift tomorrow."

"Let's do this again, sometime." She said as she snuggled toward him and wrapped her leg around his body.

* * *

Regina sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes, "Why is the sun so bright?"

She brushed her fingers through her hair and yawned as she looked around the room to see the naked body lying beside her, "Oh my god."

"Good morning, love." He turned to her and pulled her down beside him, letting his arm fall across her stomach.

"Did we, um-"

"Yes, and I warned you a lot and you still insisted-"

She looked at him, "It's fine, Robin. It's not like we both didn't enjoy it."

"Right, well we better get to work then," he suggested.

"No, I think I'll just lay here for a few more minutes," she said as he began to rub her stomach, "That tickles."

He laughed and kissed her forehead, "Let's go, love."

Robin stood from the bed and made his way out of the room before shutting the door behind him. Regina sat in the bed and looked down at herself, covered her body in sheets and stared up to the ceiling.

What was going on? Was he more than just hotness and sex? Or was he just pretending to get her for sex? Was he actually going to change? For her? Or is it all just another game?

Regina's mind was spinning, but all she could do was go with the flow, especially considering that he was her boss. She sighed as she stood up and started to get dressed. When she finished, she fixed her hair and made her way to the kitchen where she found a plate of pancakes and bacon waiting for her along with a coffee.

"This is for me?" she asked.

"I figured you'd need a good meal after we, uh-"

"Yeah, good idea, thank you." She replied as she sat down and began to eat.

He nodded as he sat beside her. In a couple minutes, they were both done and cleaning up their areas when Regina stopped him.

"Robin, come back here."

He turned around and walked back over to her, standing still in front of her and waiting for her to speak, but no words came out. She looked up to him for a second before she reached out her hands and found his collar, folding it up and placing his tie correctly under it. She began to tie it and straighten it before folding the collar back down and patting his chest, "There."

"You know, I could get used to this," he said.

"To what?"

"To waking up beside you, making you breakfast, letting you fix me before work," he added.

She nodded and turned around before leaving the room, "Work, let's go."

He met her outside by the car before helping her inside and hopping in himself. He started driving before she turned to him.

"So, what do we say when people ask why we have arrived together?" She asked.

"The truth?"

"No, we can't," she sighed.

"Then what do we tell them?"

"Nothing. We just say that my car broke down or something," she shrugged.

"I guess that works," he said as he pulled into the parking lot, "First."

He leaned in and planted a light kiss on her lips before unbuckling and getting out of the car, "In case we don't really see each other today."

"Why wouldn't we?"

"You're going on a new case with Snow today, lots of traveling." He said.

Then, she felt upset.

* * *

 **Don't forget to review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello all! I think this chapter is really big for helping Robin towards his "change" and I think it's definitely worth the read. Don't worry, there's some action in there on top of passion, angst, and drama. Good luck as always.**

 **Kisses.**

* * *

"Regina, dear!"

Regina spun around when she heard her name, only to see Snow running towards her and soon collapsing into her hug. Robin tried hard to slip past the two women but Snow stopped him, "Good morning, Mr. Locksley."

"You too, Snow." He said graciously before nodding and walking away to the lobby's desk to sign in. Snow pushed her off of Regina and rubbed her shoulders before noticing Regina's attention on Robin.

"Why did you two come in together?" she asked.

Regina turned her attention over to Snow and she was at a loss of words until she remembered the excuse, "My car broke down because of the weather conditions, so I called him up to tell him I wouldn't be in, and he offered me a ride."

"That's all?" Snow squinted and nudged her a little bit. Regina just nodded as she began to walk to the sign-in desk, where Snow followed her and said, "You two seem a little close, don't ya think?"

"I don't pick and prod in your field so don't in mine," Regina said, but then quickly took it back, "I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did; I'm sorry."

Snow shrugged, "It's fine, I guess I'll have to get used to your sarcasm considering the fact that we'll be working together on a new assignment."

"Yeah, what is that about anyways?" Regina asked.

Snow shrugged once more, "Not sure, I guess we should go find out."

Regina nodded as she followed Snow to Robin's office. When Snow knocked, Regina received goosebumps as the door opened, revealing Robin with a slight smirk.

"Ladies, do come in."

Snow nodded and smiled at Robin before entering the room while Regina slowly brushed passed his body and skimmed her fingers across his abdomen, before settling inside beside Snow. Regina crossed her legs and leaned on them, letting her arms cross slightly and propping her chest outward. She lifted her chin a little and puckered her lips slightly before raising an eyebrow and letting out a breath. When Robin noticed her position, he sent her wide eyes, causing her to lean back and fix her position to a less sexy one. Snow noticed their exchange but didn't say anything about it, "So, what's this new project?"

"Well, the overall objective of the entire thing is to get me something I need for my big boss, head of the head. I will first need you, Snow, to stop downtown to pick up some files, while Regina stays back and does some quick research on the place I'll be sending you two when you get back," Robin said as he sat on top of his desk, "Is that an issue with either of you?"

"All is good with me," Snow said, "Regina?"

Regina made eye contact with Snow before turning her head so her eyes met the desk. They grew wide as she noticed the purple tape dispenser on the desk with Robin's hand on top of it.

"Regina?" Snow asked.

"Ms. Mills, are you alright with that proposal?" Robin asked.

Regina shook her head and looked up to him, "Uh, yes, definitely."

"Great, Snow when can you get there?" Robin said.

Snow shrugged, "I can leave now so I get back earlier?"

"Sounds good. Here is the address," he said as he handed her a piece of crumpled yellow paper, "Text me when you're on your way back here."

After nodding, Snow stood and waved to Regina before leaving the room in silence.

Regina let out a long sigh.

"What was that for," Robin said as he stood and strolled to the door, locking it and then turning back to Regina, "The research won't be that hard, I promise."

"That was close," Regina said, rubbing her eyes.

Robin leaned against the door, "How was that close? Nothing happened between us."

"Nothing may have happened between us. But between me and my core that's about to explode - that's a whole nother damn story," she spit out as she opened her eyes and turned to look at him.

"You're about to explode, why, love?" He smirked.

"Because you kept eye-balling me and touching that damn tape dispenser, Robin," she said, "You can't do that, at least not here, while people are here, and where they can actually hear and see us through that damned glass wall you have."

"No need to worry your beautiful self, I've got it all under control. No more slips," he said, "I promise."

She let herself smile, even though she didn't really want to, "Good, now what is this research?"

"About that," he said as he came towards her and let his hands fall to her shoulders, "I lied."

Her head fell back onto the couch, "I should have known."

"Any excuse to keep you here with me, love," he said as he bent down to leave a kiss on her lips.

He stepped away from her and let her feel the burden of the ghost of his kiss on her lips before she stood up and looked toward him before saying, "You can't just kiss me and expect me to go ahead and work."

"Go to work, Regina," he said, sitting down in his desk chair and staring at her, "Or don't."

She strolled over to him and sat down on his lap, each of her legs on his sides and her arms around his neck, "Work or work?"

"Well, I'd prefer the second over the first." he said.

She leaned into the empty space and closed the area between their lips. Softly at first, and then gradually getting more rough and intense, the kiss was like fireworks. Every time they kissed - was like fireworks. Her hands found his hair and ran through it, as his hands landed on her back and pulled her body towards him. In seconds, she was grinding against him and he was kissing every part of her lips. He trailed smaller kisses down her jawline to her collarbones and then began sucking on her neck until she pulled away, "Robin, contain yourself."

"I knew it was a long shot, but hey-"

Then, she reclaimed his lips and continued to grind against him before they heard a knock on his door. Regina quickly threw herself off of him, wiping his face of her lipstick and fixing her clothes. She motioned for him to brush his fingers through his hair as he spoke, "Hold on one second."

"What should I do?" She whispered.

"Get the door and act like the assistant you are," he winked. She straightened herself before opening the door and freezing. Her mouth dropped.

"Regina?" the man said, "Regina Mills?"

"Daniel?"

* * *

Robin sat back in his chair and squinted as he started at Daniel, and then back at Regina, then back to Daniel.

"So, let me see if I understand this correctly," Robin said, leaning onto his desk, "You two were together for several years and you broke up because Daniel moved to someplace in Europe and now he's been back for two years, working in partner with me?"

Daniel nodded. Regina didn't dare to look up at either of them.

"And I'm just finding this out now, why?" Robin asked.

"Well, as you can see, neither of us knew that the other was here or in this area at all. Actually, if I had even known that Reg- Ms. Mills was in the area, I would have contacted her to get together and have a coffee or two, Robin," he said, "Plus, things like my love life don't usually come up in the conversations we have."

Robin nodded, "I see."

"Will you excuse me for a second, please?" Regina said without making eye contact with either of them, "I'll be right back."

She rushed out of the room and into the bathroom. As she stared at herself in the mirror, all the memories of Daniel came rushing back, especially the one where he left.

"Regina, come with me, we can finally be happy together." Daniel said as he grabbed her hand.

A tear fell down her cheek, "You know I can't, Daniel. I have to go to school and be here for my family. As much as I'd love to go with you, I need to stay."

"Regina, please, I'm begging you," he said as he almost broke, "I need you in my life. I love you."

"I love you too, but this just can't happen this way," she looked down to the ground, "I can't go, Daniel."

"Is that your final decision? Are you sure you don't want to come?" He asked as he pulled her chin up to make their gazes meet.

She nodded and sniffled, "I'm sorry."

Flight 789 boarding now…

"That's your flight," she said, "Go. Don't miss out on your future."

"Regina, this hurts so much, please don't be sorry," he brushed her cheek, "There's nothing to be sorry about."

Last chance for Flight 789…

"Goodbye, Daniel."

"I love you, Regina Mills." He said as he kissed her and pushed her away, turning and not looking back, because he knew if he did, he'd never get on that plane.

"Okay, Regina, you can do this, breathe," she stared at herself in the mirror, "Your current love and your first love are in the same room, what do you do?"

She shook her head and groaned. Within seconds, she made her way out of the bathroom and back to Robin's office. Regina peeked her head inside and said, "Gentleman, I'd love to stay as company but I have some research to do for a new project. It was great seeing you again, Daniel. Mr. Locksley, see you later."

And with that, she left.

* * *

An hour later…

She flinched as she heard the hard knock on her door, but didn't say a word. When it hit again, she stood and slowly walked over to the door, opening it and revealing a smiling Daniel.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Colter?" she said as she invited him in with her arm. She closed the door as he made it in and sat down on her couch.

"Regina, call me Daniel," he said, "It's not like we don't know each other. We have a personal relationship."

"No, Daniel, we had a personal relationship," she corrected, "I'm over you."

"Why are we so feisty all of a sudden?" He stood and turned towards her.

She shrugged, "I'm not, I'm just stating out the facts."

"Are they actually facts?" He asked.

Regina rolled her eyes and walked over to the bookcase behind the couch before turning and saying, "Yes, of course. I'm over you, Daniel."

He walked over to her and placed his hand on the bookcase so that she was stuck between his body and the wall, "I'm not so sure."

"What are you talking about?" she started to panic. He brushed her hair behind her ears and smiled.

"You've gotten even more beautiful than you were when we last saw each other," he said, "Like a goddess, you are, Regina."

"Let's not do this, Daniel. I don't need any problems and I sure as hell don't need anyone complimenting me," she said.

"Do what? I can't be nice to the woman I love?" he asked.

"Loved, past tense, Daniel." She stated, "We aren't together anymore."

He sighed, "Unfortunately not, but wouldn't that be fun?"

Suddenly, his hands fell onto her waist and she was pushed back against the wall. With one hand, he grabbed her wrists and held them as one as he leaned into her neck and whispered, "Can I still make you sweat just by breathing on your skin?"

"Daniel stop, please," she said as she struggled to get out of his hold, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Reality hit me, hun." He hissed, "I need a woman, someone to keep me busy at night."

She shook her head, "Well, you aren't going to have any luck in these markets."

He let his head fall into her shoulder before he began to trail kisses on her neck, softly sucking the delicate skin as she spoke, "Daniel, please, stop. I don't want to hurt you, but I might have to."

"No pain, no gain, right? Isn't that what you always say?" he said before his teeth struck her neck and he began to nibble on her ear.

"This is it, get off of me or so help me God, I will beat the living daylights out of you." She warned.

He laughed as he pulled his head back, letting go of her wrists, "It's not worth it, at least, not now it isn't."

She pushed past him before heading to the door and holding it open for him, "Get out, and don't come back."

He laughed again as he left the room, looking back at her and winking, "See you soon."

* * *

Regina sighed as she held her knees to her chest on the couch. She heard a knock but didn't care to acknowledge it until she heard the door open.

"Regina? I'm back, let's-" Snow stepped in the office and shut the door slowly, "Um, are you alright?"

Regina didn't answer.

"What's wrong? Talk to me." Snow said.

She ignored her. Snow came to sit down next to her and began to rub her back, "You can tell me anything."

"Can you give me advice for a hypothetical situation?" Regina said as she let her legs down.

Snow nodded.

"So, hypothetically, if I was dating this guy, and we were kind of falling for each other but also kind of still in the friend zone, and one of my exes, who I was sure I was going to marry until I broke it off, came back, seduced or tried to seduce me, and told me that he'd be back for more, would it be wise to tell this new guy I am dating or keep it to myself?" Regina said.

"Well, I would tell this guy you are dating. If you two are at the point where you are about to confess your love, then he deserves to know what's going on in your life. Especially if it's something as terrible as an ex trying to seduce you behind his back." Snow said, "Hypothetically speaking."

Regina nodded, "But what if that guy I was dating got angry and took it out on me?"

"It wasn't your fault. You weren't asking for your ex to come and seduce you. He should understand that-"

"And if he doesn't?" Regina said.

"Then he isn't worth the fight," Snow shrugged, "But at least talk to him."

Regina rubbed her temples and sighed, "I hate stress."

"I can wait until tomorrow if you want to clear your head a bit?" Snow proposed.

Regina nodded, "Please and thank you."

Snow hugged Regina and left the room.

Regina was scared to tell Robin. She had never really opened up to him, and something like this might not be the best thing to first open up to him about. But she had to get it off of her chest. She need him to know.

* * *

8:00pm…

She crossed her arms and sniffled before knocking on the interconnecting door. She looked down to the floor as it opened and she felt arms surround her body.

"Snow told me that you were acting weird," he whispered, "You want to talk about it or no?"

She nodded into his chest before he lead her to the couch and sat beside her.

Regina sighed and didn't look up to him, but her watery eyes gave her vulnerability, "I have to tell you about something that happened today, and I'm not sure you'll be happy with it or with me, so I'm just going to go out and say it."

"Now you're worrying me. What happened, Regina?" he scooted toward her and grabbed her hands.

"After I flew out of your meeting with Daniel, like an hour later, Daniel visited me in my office, and," she sniffled, "And he at first just seemed like he wanted to talk and get to become friends again, but-"

"But what, I swear if that bastard tried anything with you, I'll kill him-"

She looked up to him now, because she knew that he was almost on the same page as she was, "What I'm about to tell you is nothing against you, or what you do, and I need you to understand that."

"Go ahead."

"He cornered me and started to feel me up, he was kissing my jaw and sucking on my neck and he gave me this," she pointed to the bite mark on her skin just under her ear, "He almost kissed my lips but I warned him not to go any further and I'm sorry that it got even that far and I don't know-"

He pulled her into his embrace and hushed her cries, "Don't be sorry, Regina. It wasn't your fault."

"But it was, I couldn't stop him." She said. "I wasn't strong enough."

"There's a difference between being a strong woman and being a woman with strength," he said, "You were strong enough to tell me, and that means more than the world."

"I was so scared to be touched," she said.

He looked at her, "I won't touch you anymore if you're afraid-"

"No, I'm fine. I was scared to be touched by anyone other than you-"

When the words came out, she didn't quite exactly know what she was expressing. But it was something along the lines of falling for him. Even if their relationship was more touchy than romantic, she was falling for him.

"Regina, I'm just happy you're okay," he said as he kissed her knuckles, "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

She looked up to him and kissed his lips lightly and passionately, then let their foreheads meet as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I won't let him near you, love," Robin said, "Never again will he breathe the same air as you."

She nodded before falling into his embrace and letting his arms shield her from the current pain in the air.

* * *

 **Review, please.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ooooh, intense chapter. Mature at the very end, don't be alarmed because I warned you. Good luck with the drama in this chapter.**

 **Kisses.**

 **Leave me a review ;)**

* * *

" _Regina, just let me touch you." Daniel commanded as he threw her down to the bed. She let out a cry, a loud one, but no one could hear her. Tears flooded her face as she struggled to get out of his grasp._

" _Daniel, stop. Don't do this," she cried, "I'm begging you."_

 _He laughed at her and hushed her cries before closing the space between their lips roughly._

 _Daniel sat up and grabbed her collar, pulling her up with him, before standing and pushing her against the wall._

 _She coughed at the impact, "That hurt, stop it, Daniel. Get away from me."_

" _I'm not violent, just a bit rough," he smirked as he pushed his body against hers._

" _You call this… rough? It's more violent." She pointed to herself. Her shirt wrinkled as his grip was on her collar again, her long brown hair was all messy, her back against the wall, her arms against his chest, head held high._

" _I can loosen my grip if you tell me you love me, and that you'd pick me over that dumb Robin," he said._

 _Her mouth dropped, "Robin, I don't know what you're talking about. And I won't tell you I love you because that would be lying and I'm not a liar."_

" _Grr…" he growled at her answer._

" _Who would ever love a man who throws them against the wall and has to seduce them unwillingly?" Regina spit out._

" _I know you like it rough, Regina," he smirked, "I did my research. All women like it rough."_

 _She rolled her eyes, "Just because all the victims of you liked it rough doesn't mean I do."_

" _Nah, you can't hide it from me, Regina," he said as he kissed her neck, "You are on the edge of exploding, I can tell."_

 _She struggled to get away from him, but it was no use. He held her tight in the corner._

" _Why can't you accept my rejection?" She cried out._

" _I don't deserve to be rejected, I deserve better, I deserve you pleasuring me on command," he said._

 _She turned her head away from him, "No one deserves a woman on command."_

" _Stop being stubborn," he grabbed her face and pointed it toward her lips, "One more word and I'll claim your lips and your body as mine."_

 _Her eyes widened, "Please, don't-"_

 _In seconds, he forcefully pressed his lips onto hers. Swallowing back her whimpers, she tried to push him off of her body, but he stood his ground. His hand snaked her wrist and pinned it to the wall. She suddenly gasped as he by her bottom lip and quickly snuck his tongue into her mouth. She tried to move her hands but it was to no avail._

 _She gasped for air, "Stop! Daniel, please."_

* * *

She pushed herself up and opened her eyes, waking up from the terrible nightmare. Regina looked around the room, and then looked down at Robin's body, which she was laying on. She wiped her tears away and let out a sigh before lying back down between Robin's body and the couch. When she felt Robin's hand move to her back and rub it, she flinched, waking him up in the process.

"What time is it?" He said as he opened his eyes to see Regina's wet face, "What's wrong?"

"A nightmare," she sniffled and looked up to him, "It's fine. I'm fine."

He kissed her forehead, "Don't be scared, I'm here to protect you."

She nuzzled her head into his chest and nodded, "Did we fall asleep in the office?"

He laughed and looked at the clock, which said 4AM, "I guess so. It's fine, we'll go home later. Get some sleep."

By the end of his sentence, Regina was already asleep again in his arms.

* * *

 _7:30AM…_

There was a knock on the door, interrupting Regina's sleep. She brushed her fingers through her hair as she gently got up from the couch and went to the door. When she opened it, her eyes grew wide, remembering that Robin was still asleep on her couch.

"Good morning, Reg-" Snow stopped as she spotted Robin, "Um, am I interrupting some-"

"No, no! It's not what you think, really," Regina said as she invited Snow in, "He must have been drunk or something, I found him here when I came in."

Snow raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "And he couldn't fall asleep on his own office's couch?"

Regina shrugged, "I guess mine was more comfortable? Or he couldn't tell the difference?"

"I didn't think Robin had a drinking problem," Snow said.

Regina spun on her heel and turned to her desk, "Yeah, I wouldn't expect it from him. We should probably go to your office, so we don't wake him."

Snow nodded as she got pushed out by Regina, "Why are you wearing the same outfit as yesterday?"

Regina's eyes grew big as she froze, "Uh, I just really like the outfit?"

Snow accepted her lie as she handed Regina a pile of files, "You might want to look these over before we get there."

"Get where?"

"The office up north." Snow said.

"Right, let me just go grab my jacket. I'll meet you out here in five minutes." Regina said as she rubbed Snow's shoulder and rushed back to her office.

When she got back in, she locked the door and noticed that Robin was no longer asleep on her couch. She spun as she heard footsteps behind her, knocking into Robin's strong body.

"Look who's finally up," she smiled, "I have to go, so I just wanted to say goodbye."

He caressed her cheek and smiled, "You were going to say goodbye to a sleeping man?"

"Well, I was going to kiss you goodbye, but since you're up, I guess I can do both?" She said.

He pulled her into one of those time-stopping, passionate kisses - the ones that made you forget what was even happening around you. She smiled into the kiss, before landing another one on his lips quickly and letting their foreheads touch.

"Goodbye, Robin." she said, staring at his lips.

"See you later, love," he said, "Don't be too late."

She nodded as she began to walk to the door but then he pulled her back to his embrace and said, "Just one more thing."

He left a short and sweet kiss on her lips before pecking a few more small ones before she laughed and left the room. He sighed contently as the door shut behind her and he suddenly felt lonely.

Regina ran to Snow as they began to walk to her car. They haven't really hung out or opened up to each other and Regina knew that Snow was catching on. Snow knew something. As they got in the car, Regina put some music on before backing out of the parking lot.

"So, Mr. Locksley?" Snow said.

"Huh?" Regina replied.

"Do you like him?" Snow blurted out.

Regina shook her head, "No, of course not. I could never fall in love with my boss."

"Every woman has," Snow sighed, "Surprised you didn't yet."

"What does that mean?"

"Surely, if you tried, you could get him all the time any time." Snow said, looking out the window, "Heck, if I wasn't so happily married, I'd be knocking on his door."

Regina's mouth dropped, "What the-"

"But he wouldn't take me, he loves the dark hair, brown eyes, olive skin, perfect lips, perfect body, smart, brilliant, you know, everything every woman tries to be," Snow said, "Plus, I'm expecting a baby, so that wouldn't work."

"You're pregnant?"

"I've been meaning to tell you, but you've been under all this stress-"

Regina smiled, "Congratulations, Snow! That's wonderful."

"Marian would probably be pregnant right now, had they not broken up. The wedding was actually scheduled for a week ago," Snow said, "I'm still surprised they even broke up."

Regina rolled her eyes as she stared out the window, "Yep, life just isn't fair."

Snow turned to Regina, "Why are you being so stubborn all of a sudden?"

"Why does everyone assume I'm being stubborn or feisty or angry or petty?" Regina scoffed, "I'm a sarcastic bitch, and if you can't handle that, then you can leave."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, Regina," Snow said, "I meant to ask why you change when I mention Marian?"

Regina sighed angrily and looked at Snow, "I just understand what it feels like to leave someone, and to be pushed to the curb by someone."

Snow nodded as silence took over the car. When Regina pulled into the parking lot of a large office building, Snow spoke, "Let's get this over with."

Snow got out first and started walking without Regina. When Regina caught up, neither of them spoke. They made their way into the lobby and greeted the secretary.

"We're here to see Mr. Scarlett?" Snow said, "Robin Locksley sent us to pick up some files."

The secretary handed Snow a slip with a room number on it, before Snow lead Regina to the elevator. The few minutes in the elevator were extremely awkward between them. When they finally made it to the floor, and they hurried down the hallway and knocked on the last door.

A woman opened the door and invited them in.

"Hello, Mr. Scarlett. I'm Mary Margaret Nolan and this is my," she looked towards Regina, "Co-worker and Robin Locksley's assistant, Regina Mills."

Will turned around in his chair and his eyes brightened at the sight of the two women in his office, "Two lovely ladies, indeed. Welcome, loves."

Snow smiled graciously as she sat down in front of him, while Regina caught his eye contact and blushed before sitting beside Snow.

"The files is what you two came here for?" Will said.

Snow nodded, "Yep, and then we will be on our way."

Will handed Snow the pile of files as she stood and smiled, "Thank you. Let us get out of your hair."

Snow started for the door as Regina stood up and held her hand out to Will, who grabbed it and shook it. He held onto her hand and looked at her eyes, which were sparkling and melting into a golden hazel. He smirked at her and pushed the small of her back to follow Snow out, "Thank you for coming by, ladies."

"Good meeting you!" Snow yelled as she stepped out of the room and began for the elevator.

Regina stopped before leaving and turned to him, "Have a good day and-"

"So, you're Robin's girl?"

"I'm sorry, what-"

"No need to hide it, love," Will smirked, "Robin and I go way back. When I grabbed a drink with him last week, he had a few too many and he might have mentioned your name once or twice."

Regina's cheeks flushed a bright red, "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag, but don't tell anyone. We're keeping it extremely exclusive right now."

Will winked, "You have my word. But, if you two ever break up, here is my card."

He slipped his business card in between her fingers as she laughed, "If that ever happens, you'll be the first I call."

She waved as she met Snow in the elevator, who just stared at her. They walked back to the car in silence.

"What's your deal?" Regina asked as she began to drive out of the parking lot.

"There is no deal, I'm fine."

"Snow, I know you." Regina said.

Snow sighed, "Something is up with you, and if you don't want to tell me, fine, but I'm going to figure it out myself then."

"Snow, I-"

"I don't want anymore excuses, Regina," Snow said, looking out the window, "I should've known better than to trust you."

"Trust?"

Snow rolled her eyes, "I can't trust just anyone. No one cares anymore these days. There are two people in this world who care what I do and who I am, and that's my husband, David, and the baby growing inside of me."

"Please don't call me out for something I didn't do-"

"What? You didn't lie straight to my face? You didn't pretend to be someone you weren't?" Snow said, finally looking at her, "Do you think I was born yesterday?"

Regina looked at her, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what? Forget it. It's not worth the fight," Snow rolled her eyes, "It's in the past, whatever."

"Tell me what lie you're referring to, Snow."

Snow turned to her, "How can you act like some pure, perfect princess and expect the world to be given to you on a silver platter? You act like this high standard woman who values love over money, someone who cares about trust and family, someone who doesn't lie to their friends, but you are completely the opposite."

"Snow, I don't know-"

"I get it if you change, but that doesn't mean you can just put your past behind you and pretend it never happened."

Regina pulled over to the side of the road and looked at Snow, "Where is this coming from?"

"You know, I suspected something from the start. When Robin hired you the second you walked into his room, the way he looked at you when you left, the way you've been acting when I mention Marian, I finally understand now," she laughed, "You've been screwing Robin."

"What, I-"

"Don't deny it, tell me the truth." Snow said, "Tell me that you've been screwing him every night and that's why he's so protective over you. You're like his prized possession: get too close and he nails ya to the floor."

"Snow, please let me explain-"

Snow rolled her eyes, "Drive. I want to go home."

Regina obeyed her command.

In the next fifteen minutes, they were back in the city.

"Do you screw any man you see? Mr. Gold? Daniel? Let me guess, you made plans to screw Will later tonight?" Snow said as they came to a red light.

"You have no right to accuse me like this, if you had proof-"

"Please, Regina, this is for the best. Better for it to be out now rather than later."

Regina began to drive again, "Listen, you have every right to be angry with me. Yes, I lied. Yes, I'm pretending. Yes, I'm hiding things."

Snow ignored her.

"I wasn't going to tell the truth if it was going to hurt someone-"

"That someone being yourself?" Snow said.

"How did you know, Snow?" Regina sighed as she pulled into the parking lot of their workplace.

Snow unbuckled herself and turned to Regina, "That doesn't matter. Lying doesn't get you anywhere in life. I'll go give these to Robin, or would you rather do it with all of your clothes off?"

Regina grabbed Snow's wrist and looked at her, "That's not fair."

"We're done, Regina." Snow said.

"No, Snow. Please don't do this, I need you in my life." Regina said.

"Should have thought about that before you lied to me." Snow said as she strutted inside with the stack of files.

Regina rubbed her temples and sighed before getting out of the car and making her way inside. A frown found her face as she stepped into her office, plopping her body across her couch and sighing again. She heard a knock and yelled, "Come in or don't."

"Regina, what happened over the course of two hours?" Robin said, locking the door behind him, "World War 3?"

Regina sat up and sighed, looking at him, "Snow found out. She knows about us. She knows _everything_ about us."

"What? How?" Robin said.

"I don't know, and right now I couldn't care less," she sighed, "Let's go home. I need to get my mind off of this."

Robin raised his eyebrows, "It's merely lunch time."

"Good, perfect time to leave," she said as she stood up and grabbed her jacket.

"What if people see us leaving together?"

"I don't care anymore," Regina shrugged, "Come, or don't. Your loss if you don't. You'll miss out on the show."

Robin gulped as his eyes followed her fingers as they unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, "You know I can't resist you."

"That's the point, _love_ ," Regina smirked, "Let's go, now. I'm losing my ambition."

They made their way out of the office building, Regina catching Snow's ignorant gaze on the way but ignoring it.

* * *

When they got to his house, Regina threw Robin down onto his couch, ripping at his shirt and claiming his lips roughly. Without acknowledging the buttons, she ripped his shirt opened, the buttons scattering in the floor, and threw it to the ground. She let her hands explore his chest and run through his hair as he roughed the kiss. He sat up and pushed her under him, kissing her neck and sucking the tender skin as he unbuttoned her blouse, one by one, and soon took it off, leaving her in a lace camisole and her pencil skirt. She licked off her heels as he felt down to her abdomen, leaving kisses as he trailed down to her breasts, yanking the material that covered them over her head and to the ground. She grinded her body against his and started for his belt, which was off in the next seconds.

"Mmmm…"

She moaned as he found that special spot on her neck, sucking it intensely. Then he led the kisses down to her pubic bone, before pulling her skirt off along with her panties. He stared at her hungrily, before she urged him to get busy. His tongue got working with her core as she tore off his pants, feeling his family jewel and getting moans out of him.

"Robin, please-"

"Your wish is my command, love." He smirked as he carried her over to him, slowly letting her down onto him and thrusting slowly. She gasped as he went fully in, before she demanded he'd go faster. When he quickened the pace, she urged for his lips to be on his, before kissing him passionately and intensely, letting moans escape from her mouth.

His breath became short as he almost reached his limit, and when he did, he let out a sigh of content and let her fall on his body as he leaned down to on the couch. She left small kisses on his neck and then a big, and passionate one on his lips - one that would go down in the record book.

"And that was for?" Robin said.

"That was a thank you." She said with a smirk and then fell onto his chest, trying to catch her breath.

* * *

 **Review?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello everyone! New chapter, and it's long and it's juicy. The show really hasn't given us any hope as OQers, however for us Dark OQ fans, our time has come!**

 **Enjoy this chapter and leave me a review.**

 **Kisses.**

* * *

 _The next morning…_

Regina walked through the hallway and stopped in front of the door before turning back around and sitting on the couch to put on her shoes. She zippered her heels up and stood back up before flattening the nonexistent wrinkles on her pencil skirt and letting out a long sigh. She flipped her hair and then noticed Robin staring at her.

She jumped at the sight of him, "Damn it, I didn't want to wake you."

"You're pacing made it a little hard to stay sleeping." He laughed.

Regina rolled her eyes and walked over to him, "I'm sorry for waking you. You need your rest."

He kissed her on the cheek and started to turn as he spoke, "I'll be ready in ten minutes, relax, and I'll meet you down here."

She nodded and watched as he ran up the stairs. With a laugh, Regina spun around and sat on the couch to wait for him. She pulled out her phone from her purse and read through the notifications. Her eyes grew big when she saw a text message from Mr. Gold.

 _Regina, I heard you crossed paths with a Mr. Daniel Colter? Call me as soon as you get this._

 _Gold_

Her mouth dropped before she looked around, making sure Robin didn't come downstairs. Regina stood from the couch and made her way to the porch in the backyard to call Gold.

 _Hello, Regina. Didn't expect you to be awake this early._

"I have an early shift so I was up," she sighed as she leaned against the glass sliding door, "So, what's wrong?"

 _I was going to ask you the same thing. How did your confrontation with Daniel go?_

"Crazy to tell you the truth," she bit her lip, "Actually horrible, it was terrifying."

 _Terrifying? I'm afraid I'm not comprehending what you're trying to tell me. Please, elaborate._

She sighed into the phone as she looked through the glass door, making sure Robin still wasn't there, "He tried to seduce me, Gold."

 _Is that all?_

"What do you mean, 'Is that all'?" She spit out.

 _I imagined he would have done more._

"He basically attacked me. And he felt me up in my office during work hours no less," she said, "Thankfully, I got him off of me and got him out of my office before he could proceed any further."

 _He didn't come back? Has he contacted you since?_

"No, why?" She said suspiciously, "Why are you so concerned with him?"

 _He's not through with you, that's why. He called me._

"Is that why you're so worried that you felt the need to talk to me over the phone?"

 _Regina, be on your highest guard. He isn't done. He threatened my company and I still went ahead to warn you. I promise it won't be good for you or for me. Be careful._

She smiled through the phone, "Stop messing with me, Gold. Not in the mood for your silly games-"

 _I'm not joking, Regina. Steer clear of any place he'd be. You didn't hear any of this from me. Good luck._

"Wait, Gold, you're serious?"

The opposite end of the phone call was silent.

"Gold?" she looked at her screen then brought the phone back up the her ear, "Gold, don't leave me like that!"

She let her hand drop to her side as she ended the call, rubbing her watery eyes and sighing with sadness. She tried to calm herself down; she couldn't let this get to her. All she had to do was steer clear of any place he'd be. That's it.

But he knew everything about her. _Everything._ She'd need to be extremely careful before going anywhere or saying anything. She'd need to watch who she built relationships with and who she broke them with.

"Snow-"

She ran inside without shutting the sliding glass door all the way and called for Robin to hurry up.

* * *

"Have a good day, I'll see you during lunch." Robin kissed her forehead before getting out of the car.

"How much longer do we need to hide us?" Regina pouted.

"Longer than today." He sighed as he rubbed her back and they made their way into the building, parting ways and going into their own offices.

Regina slipped out of her office minutes later when she was sure Robin was into his work mode, and made her way over to Snow's office. She knocked lightly before she heard Snow call her in.

"I know we're both not ready for confrontation, but I really need to talk to you," Regina said as she stuck her head into the doorframe.

Snow didn't lift her head, "You know neither of us have anything to say to the other."

"Snow, please. I'm begging you," She stepped inside and locked the door behind her, "It's kind of a life or death situation here."

Snow rolled her eyes, "I'm sure it's not that crucial for me to hear."

Regina sat down and stared at Snow before sighing and saying, "Remember that hypothetical situation I asked out for advice about last week?"

Snow nodded.

"Well, it wasn't so hypothetical."

"What do you mean, Regina?" Snow said as she finally looked up. Regina froze and then looked down to her hands, which started to shake.

"I was actually _attacked_ by a man I used to date. It was weird actually; he was never so controlling and touch. That's why I fell in love with him, but," Regina looked up to her, "When he found out about me moving on, nonetheless with his partner, he needed to _claim_ me again."

Snows mouth dropped, "Regina, are you serious?"

Regina nodded as her eyes grew watery, "And now he's back and he's looking for me and I'm scared, Snow. I'm terrified."

"Does Robin know?" Snow asked, "About everything?"

Regina nodded again, "I got a call from my former boss earlier this morning; he was concerned about my well being, considering that Daniel was back. Gold and I go way back and he's always been there as a second father to me, and he's risking his own company by telling me about Daniel's plans."

Snow stood up and her eyes grew wide, "Wait, Daniel? Daniel Colter?"

"Snow, I know that look. What's wrong?"

"I invited him to the business's gala tonight," Snow said, "The other day when he was leaving. Him and Robin were friendly so I insisted."

"You what?" Regina spit out as she stood, "To the gala tonight?"

Snow nodded reluctantly.

"I'll have to tell Robin I'm not going," she said, "I just can't."

Snow reached over her desk and grabbed Regina's hand, "If you decide to go, Robin, I, and the rest of the workers here will be more than happy to watch out for you."

Regina froze when Snow touched her hands; Memories of their friendship started to flood her mind. She took in a deep breath and smiled, "Thank you, I'll think about it. I better go talk to Robin."

Regina walked out of her office and made her way over to Robin's. She knocked lightly before slipping inside the room and giving Robin a worried look.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked.

She just stared at him.

"Regina?"

"I can't go to the gala tonight, Robin." She said as she looked down to the ground.

He stood and walked over to her, before brushing her hair behind her ears and lifting her chin so she would look at him, "Why not? Why have you changed your mind?"

"Daniel is going to be there; Snow invited him."

"Did she do that on purpose? I swear if she-"

"No, no. It was earlier this month when he left from a meeting with you," Regina patted his chest, "She wouldn't do that, no matter how much I hurt her."

Robin pulled her into a hug, "Are you sure you don't want to go? It's kind of your thing. Your favorite thing actually."

"I know, I'm just scared he'll get to me."

He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead, "You know I'll protect you."

Regina paused and thought about it. Was Daniel worth ruining her night that she dreamed about for ages?

No.

"Fine, I'll go. but if anything-"

"If anything gets fishy or you start to feel uncomfortable, the limo will be waiting outside." He smiled and kissed her lips lightly before she collapsed into his embrace once more.

* * *

 _Later that night…_

It's rich champagne color brought out the best features in her. It hung beautifully, words can't even describe. It was strapless, which showed off her collarbones and her petite shoulders. It hugged her form and let out at the bottom near her feet, which she complemented with satin black heels and a thin black choker. Her hair was twisted into tight curls, bouncing as she walked, and her makeup was dark and devious, a shade of her darkest red lipstick covered her lips. She grabbed her wallet, which was black and went over her shoulder, and headed for the door as she heard a doorbell.

Before opening it, she flipped her hair and took a deep breath.

"What the hell, Regina?" Robin said with his mouth wide open.

Regina looked down at herself, "Too much?"

"No, no," he said as he grabbed her hands, "You looked wonderful. Stunning in every way."

She blushed at his words before leaning into a soft kiss on his lips, "And you - very handsome, black looks good on you."

"Mhm, thank you love," he held his hand out, "Are you ready to go?"

Regina nodded as she took his hand, giggling and locking the door behind her before they made their way to his limo.

"Forgot these," he said as he handed her a mask, "Since it is masquerade."

"How will you know it's me?"

He laughed, "I'd know that smile anywhere."

She smiled as he put her mask on.

When they arrived at the venue, he held the door open for her and helped her out. There were paparazzi taking photos, "Didn't realize you were such a big deal, Locksley."

"Most successful business man in the tri-state area, love," he smirked as he stopped her for a picture, "And just so you're aware, they'll probably start making up stories about us since we arrived together."

She shrugged as she stroke a pose, "That's fine with me."

He landed a kiss on her cheek as they continued taking pictures of them. She was shocked that he would do that, considering he was all about his reputation.

Robin interlocked their fingers and lead her inside of the building, which was already crowded enough to be compared to the city's streets. Regina laughed when she saw the crowd inside, neither of them were expecting such a big turnout. In response, Robin lead her over to a table, where they placed their things and looked around.

"Drink or dance?" Robin asked.

"Definitely in need of a drink," she said.

Robin nodded as he rubbed her hand and left to go get them drinks. She looked around for Daniel, but she couldn't see through the giant crowd. She shrugged to herself and tucked her hair behind her ear and suddenly felt a hand on the small of her back.

She flinched as she spun around, "Oh my god, Robin. Don't do that to a woman."

"Do what?"

"Surprise attack her?"

He raised an eyebrow as he placed down the drinks, "I called your name but you just turned away. I figured you knew I was coming."

She shook her head. Daniel was already driving her insane and she didn't even know if he was there at all.

"I'm sorry, just forget I ever said anything," she shook her head and looked down to their drinks, "What did you get?"

"Tequila." He smirked and winked at her as he sipped his drink. She took her glass in her hand and chugged it down quickly, before placing the glass back down and speaking, "Ready to dance?"

Robin could sense that something was wrong but he just nodded and let her lead him to the center of the dance floor. A slow song came on as they reached the center. He grabbed her back and pulled her close into his personal space, interlocking their hands in the air. She laughed as she put her hand on his shoulder, staring up to his dashing blue eyes. Robin spun her around and she pulled herself into him, letting both of her arms fall behind his neck, and her head lay on his shoulder; he was basically hugging her and swaying at the same time.

Suddenly, she caught eye contact with another man, who was across the room. He had on a black suit as well, with a red tie, much like Robin's, and his mask only covered his eyes. He was a split image of Robin, but his hair was combed back with gel and a darker shade of brown than Robin's, and he sent her a smirk across the room. Regina blinked a few times, trying to stop looking at him, but her mind was so entranced by his image that she couldn't shake him off. She squinted her eyes, trying to see a more clear version of his face, but before she could do so, he turned away. Robin dipped her and pulled her up into a passionate kiss, which was followed by a series of lighter pecks. She let out a laugh before turning her head away and looking for the mystery man, who was no longer anywhere to be found.

Regina let Robin go talk to some of his partnering companies while she sat at their table and drank some more. The drinks, the more she drank, were helping her relieve herself of stress - the relief of Daniel. The more she drank, the easier it was to forget about him. After her sixth shot of tequila, someone placed a tall glass of sangria in front of her. She looked up to see the same man she made eye contact with earlier; he had a smirk on his face and bent down in front of her. He held out his hand and said, "Drink up."

"And why would I do that, mystery man?" She said with a smile. The drinks were overwhelming her control system and she didn't quite know what was happening.

He grabbed her hand and handed her the drink as they stood together, "Because the fun's just beginning."

She raised an eyebrow before bringing the glass to her lips. She drank it down slowly before letting out a laugh and placing the empty glass on the table.

"Care to dance, beautiful?" the man asked. She nodded as she took his hand and followed him to the dance floor.

He pulled her close, holding her body tightly against his, both of his hands on her waist and his forehead against hers. She didn't dare look at him, yet.

"You do look magnificent," the man said.

"Ah, why thank you. These are my favorite events, you know?" She said.

He nodded, "I do know that. I remember one I went to many years ago."

She looked up to him and separated their foreheads as she listened.

"It was back in 2012, in the hotel just up the street from here. It was a black and white party, a reunion in my sophomore year of college. I arrived there and was extremely surprised on how thought out the event was; it was beautiful, actually," he said, "I drank so much that night, I can remember it vividly. That was the night that my girlfriend and I-"

"Went all the way?" Regina's eyes grew big, "Daniel? Oh my god."

"Ah, the princess has finally woken from her beauty sleep. Surprised it actually took you that long to figure out it was me," he laughed. He tightened his grip on her waist as she tried to push off of him, "No use in trying, I slipped a little something in your drink a few minutes ago."

She pouted as she hit his chest and continued to try to escape his hold, but she suddenly felt weak. He smiled and pulled her off the dance floor. She was slowly becoming dizzy and her vision was becoming blotchy. Regina heard a door close behind her as she felt the impact of her body hitting the wall. She could feel his breath on her neck as he pressed his body against her backside.

"Daniel, don't do this." She let out, "They'll find me. And you'll be the one to get hurt."

"I guess it's worth the risk," he said, "As long as I get you one last time, and I'll be on my way."

He spun her around and held her wrists above her head as he slipped her mask off of her eyes and stared at her hungrily. He left a kiss on the back of her neck as he ran his free hand through her curls and growled.

"Robin's here, Daniel. He'll find me-"

"Don't be so sure; he was never the attentive boyfriend," he laughed, "Not even to Marian."

She got spun around as she sent him and angry look, "I'm done hearing about Marian! Let me go, Daniel. I want to go home."

"I guess we all can't get what we want," he smirked, "But I always do."

He tightened his grip on her wrists as his other hand held the back of her head in place, allowing him to take claim of her lips in a rough, demanding way. His tongue begged for entrance, and since she wasn't giving it to him, he began to suck her lips until they were so sore, that she need to open her mouth. Daniel's free hand began to roam all over her body, feeling the sensation of the satin material under his fingertips. He licked along her jawline and nibbled on her ear as she called out for help - but no one answered.

"Stop trying," Daniel said as he covered her mouth with his hand, "You're going to have the time of your life."

* * *

Robin turned around and began to walk over to his table when he finally noticed Regina wasn't there anymore. He looked around before running over to Snow, who was talking with her husband David.

"She's gone, I'm worried, help, I don't know what to do, what will I do if he has her? What can I do? I need to find her, please help me, Snow, I-"

"Calm down, we'll find her; let's spit up." She said as she pulled David with her and pushed Robin towards the stairs. Robin started to panic as he ran up the stairs, which lead him into a long hallway filled with different rooms. He never imagined that this building would have so many rooms on one floor. He almost fainted.

He shook his head as he thought about his goal - _Regina._

* * *

"Daniel, no, stop." She said as she felt her face getting wet. Tears ran down her cheeks as she tried to push his body away with the hands that he recently let go of. His hands roughly grabbed the material of her dress, twisting her and pushing her front against the wall. He fumbled with the zipper before finally pulling it down and letting his cold hands come in contact with her soft, delicate skin.

"Stop it, Daniel!"

* * *

Robin began to search the rooms. One door, two doors, seven doors. He punched the wall as he ran back to the stairs, running up to the third floor and beginning to search the many rooms on that floor.

* * *

He tried to pull her dress off but she kept her arms hard on her body so that she was somewhat holding the clothing up. He struggled to pull it down, before he came to a halt and spun her back around. He put a hand next to her head and leaned in front of her face, so that their lips were inches away, and said, "If you resist me one more time, there will be a lot more pain than sensation for you."

"Daniel, this isn't you, just stop." She begged as she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to create some sort of wall between them.

"One more word and I'll rip that dress and bang you senselessly," he said, "I'm warning you."

* * *

With no luck on the third floor, he began to get even more panicky. He punched the wall again before letting out a loud and angry sigh. Where did he take her? What was he doing to her? What if he hurt her?

She was probably crying her eyes out, calling for some help and getting none in return. Probably had her heart aching for someone to be there, someone to pull that monster off of her. Probably wondering why Robin even left her alone in the first place, why he wouldn't think twice before doing so. She was probably feeling broken.

And he was the only thing that could fix her.

* * *

Regina closed her mouth before taking a deep breath and yelling, "Robin!"

"That's it."

* * *

"Robin!"

It was her. Her quickly spun around and ran for the stairs, skipping two at a time to get to the fourth floor quicker. He was out of breath and his heart was aching to see her okay. When he made it to the fourth floor, he ran down the hallway, opening all of the doors until he found the one that was locked. He banged on the door and yelled for her.

"Regina!"

"Robin? Help me!"

"Shut up." Daniel said as he covered her mouth and spun her back around. He once again let his cold hands grasp her skin, quickly yanking the material and ripping it, but not off of her body.

She screamed.

The scream gave Robin an adrenaline rush. He stepped back from the door and ran into it, the lock bursting in half and the door swinging open. Within seconds, he grabbed the back of Daniel's suit and yanked him off of Regina. Daniel coughed when he hit the ground, before he got back up and swung at Robin.

Regina tried to zipped her dress up as much as she could before running into the corner.

"Don't you ever come near her again!" Robin yelled as he dodged Daniel's punch.

"She's _mine._ " Daniel said.

Robin growled and punched him square in the nose, "She isn't someone's property, she's a human being."

"Regina Mills isn't a human; she's ruthless, ignorant, and an evil bitch," Daniel yelled as he wiped the blood from his nose, "She deserves nothing. Not after what she did to her-"

"Daniel!" Regina yelled and stopped him from talking.

Robin punched him in the gut, "This is for Regina," then punched him in the nose, "For me," and then punched him under his chin, "And that's for being dirtbag you are!"

Daniel coughed when he hit the ground as Robin ran behind to Regina. He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders before pulling her shivering body into his embrace and kissing her forehead, "You're safe now."

Robin helped her stand before bringing her out of the room but stopped in the doorway as Daniel spoke, "Don't let her weak act fool you, Robin. She ain't so fragile."

Robin rolled his eyes before taking her out into the hallway and rubbing her arms. He didn't speak another word, because he knew how shaken up she was. She looked up to him, saw the angry look on his face, and looked back down to the floor. When they got down stairs, he led her out of the building and into the waiting limo. He made sure she was comfortable before the drive began and didn't look at her until she spoke.

"I'm sorry about everything," she said, "About me and Daniel, and tonight, it all."

He looked at her with wet eyes, "There's nothing to be sorry about. I should be the one apologizing. I left you alone when I knew you were scared. I never should have. I shouldn't have pressured you to even come to this thing. I'm so sorry, Regina. I'm so sorry."

"I love you, Robin."

Robin's mouth dropped at her words.

"I love you too, Regina."

* * *

 **REVIEW?!**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hello all. Sorry for the late update, I had to write a ten page research paper. I must warn you that some of you may be pissed off with the majority of this chapter, but the ending is worth it. Please consider reading the entire thing. You won't regret it.

 **Kisses and enjoy.**

* * *

" _Don't let her weak act fool you, Robin. She ain't so fragile."_

Robin woke up and stared at the clock - 2:15AM. He groaned quietly as he remembered the woman sound asleep next to him. Robin covered his mouth before brushing his fingertips lightly across her cheek and smiling to himself. She moved her head and let out a small smile before a sigh came and then silence. Robin laughed internally before sliding back down under the covers and turning on his side to stare at her. Then, he fell back asleep.

* * *

"Why were you up in the middle of the night?" Regina asked as she stirred the pancake mix. She didn't turn around.

Surprised that she knew he was there, Robin replied, "I guess I wasn't quiet enough-"

"What do you mean-" Regina spun around and saw Robin with a bouquet of roses in his hand. He had on that childish smile he always had when he tried to be romantic. Her mouth dropped as she placed the bowl down on the counter and walked over to him. She planted a sweet kiss on his lips and then stared at him, "What are these for?"

"An apology, for last night."

"Robin, you didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," he said before sighing and grabbing her hand with his free one, "I owe it to you. I shouldn't have left you alone."

She pulled his head to hers and let their foreheads touch, "Stop blaming yourself. I was the one who was drunk as hell."

"He drugged you, Regina."

"You know what? Let's just not talk about it," Regina sighed and leaned back, "It's in the past."

Robin nodded and wiped the frown off of his face before putting the bouquet of roses in her hands and kissing her cheek. She spun on her heel and went to go find a vase. Robin smelt burning as he ran over to the stove and saw a blackened pancake in the frying pan, "This is why I cook breakfast, love."

She popped up from the cabinet and turned towards him before realizing she forgot to flip the pancake, and covered her mouth in surprise, "I wanted to try."

"Tried but no cigar," Robin said as he dropped the burnt pancake in the trash can. Regina poured the mix onto the frying pan and waited to flip it but Robin came from behind her and took the spatula from her hand.

"Hey! Robin!"

"Regina, I'm hungry and I need to be able to eat unburnt pancakes. I have a problem and I need to fix-"

"I can fix the hungry problem."

He raised an eyebrow, "How? By burning the rest of the pancakes?"

She didn't answer and left him clueless. Regina motioned for him to flip the pancake and sassed, "Any time now."

He whacked her in the stomach with the spatula before flipping the pancake and bursting into a laughing fit.

When the food was finally done, they sat down and ate their breakfast quietly. He didn't bring up his nightmare and she didn't comment on why he was up until-

"Why were you up so early?" She asked as she sipped her coffee.

"You mean at eight? I don't consider that so early," he said.

She shook her head, "No, I mean at two. What woke you up?"

He stared at her and shrugged, "I haven't really been sleeping that good lately."

"Why not?"

"Just stress with work and stuff-"

"And me; I get it you know," she sighed as she played with the remaining food on her plate, "I understand how confused and stressed you are, Robin."

He reached for her hand, "No, no. You're the part that's keeping me sane, Regina."

She looked up to him and blushed, "I'm sorry you know, about it all."

"You said that already-"

"And you told me not to apologize," she took her hand from him and stood up to clean her area, "Look, there's a lot about my past that I don't enjoy remembering or care to share, at least not yet. And it's catching up to me now, and I just have deal with the fact it's there and it's preparing for war. It's getting ready to come out and I'm not prepared for it to do so. So please, let me apologize. Don't let me make another mistake."

"Regina, I-"

She didn't look at him, "I'm gonna take a shower. I'll catch up with you in a half hour."

With that, she left the room.

* * *

Regina started to drive out of the driveway with Robin's car, hoping that he wouldn't notice her slipping away. She drove about an hour until she pulled into the parking lot of Gold Corporations. When she parked, she took a deep breath and shut her eyes - was this the right decision?

"Yes." she said to herself before opening her eyes and flipping her hair. She stood from the car and inhaled the crisp air. It was cold that morning and she had nothing on but her outfit and a thin jacket. She crossed her arms over her chest and closed the door with her hip before strutting to the door and heading inside.

When she stepped inside, she immediately was overwhelmed with flashbacks of a few years ago.

"Regina Mills?"

Regina turned her head to see Neal Cassidy staring at her with squinted eyes. Her and Neal were never the friendliest, nevertheless friendly at all. He actually hated her. Everyone there hated her. Except Gold.

"Neal, yes, hello," she said as she walked over to him, "How have you been?"

"Good until now," he shrugged.

"Rude," she muttered, "Do you know where your father is?"

Neal raised an eyebrow, "Why? Back for more of his-"

"Just need to talk, Neal." she stated.

He rolled his eyes in a manner as if he thought she was lying and then said, "Probably in his office. I would check with his secretary first; she has all eyes on him."

"Her name is?"

"Belle, Belle French," Neal spit out as he crossed his arms over his chest, "The one that was fired because you-"

"Yes, I remember quite vividly, and she was rehired?"

He nodded, "After you left, Gold needed someone's help with it all."

Regina nodded awkwardly and stared at him before uncrossing her arms and slipping past him to go greet Belle. She came to a stop when she saw Belle across the hallway at her desk, in front of Gold's office. Quickly, the horrid memories came back.

" _Regina, it's only a couple of thousands. If you need it, take it." Gold said as he shut the door behind her. He brushed her arm with his hand before coming in front of her and smiling._

" _I'm not going to take that much for my issue, it's fine, Gold, really." she sighed as she finally looked up to him, "I'll get the money some other way. I'm not just going to take it from you. I can work for it, extra hours, more clients, ya know-"_

 _Gold stepped toward her, making her fall against the door as his hand landed on the wall next to her head, "I have a way you can earn it."_

 _She avoided his eye contact, "And that is?"_

 _He inched his body closer and looked down at her lips, "A thousand per."_

 _He hand found the wall behind her as she looked down to the ground, "I'm flattered but I can't do that, Gold. It's not right-"_

 _His free hand landed on her waist, "Two thousand per. That's only five and then you have all the money you need."_

 _She closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand before looking up to him and muttered, "I'll just have to work extra hours."_

 _Gold sighed before taking her hand off of her mouth and leaning closer so that she could feel his breath on her lips, "You don't have to stay any extra hours or take on any more work if you just simply-"_

 _She shook her head reluctantly. She couldn't do this. He was her boss, and he was in a relationship with her friend, Belle. It wasn't right. The money for her father's surgery would have to come from somewhere else. She couldn't have sex with him for two thousand a times._

" _Final offer is one time and a kiss and you'll get the full ten thousand right after we finish. Yes or no, Regina?"_

 _She bit her lip. Where else would she get the damn money? If her father didn't have the surgery done, he would have a 90% chance of passing away in the next week. She was torn. Was she going to choose morals over family, friends over her father, money over death? She had to pay for that damn surgery; she couldn't let her father die. He was the only family she had left._

" _Clock's ticking, dearie."_

" _No one would know?" she said as she looked at him, "I need you to promise that this deal stays under the radar."_

 _He motioned over his heart, "Cross my heart."_

" _And right after, you give me the money?"_

 _He nodded, "As soon as we're done."_

" _I don't know, Gold, I-"_

 _She was cut off as he grabbed her face and pulled her into a rough kiss. In seconds, he locked the door and pushed her body against the wall, deepening the kiss and taking claim of her lips again and again. She tried not to react to it, just to let him do what he wanted, but her high school self took over. She grabbed his shirt and started unbuttoning it before she threw it to the floor. His hand roamed all over her body, yanking her blouse over her head and leaving trails of kisses down her body to the top of her pencil skirt. She tried to resist moaning but he suddenly began his handwork and she couldn't help herself._

" _Gold, I-"_

" _I know."_

 _He unzipped his pants before entering her and thrusting slow at first. Sweat dripped from her face as she gripped the couch tighter._

 _Minutes later, they crashed on the couch and let their heavy breathing fill the air. He looked at her with a smirk and said, "I'll get your cash."_

 _The next morning…_

" _Gold, can I talk to you?"_

 _Gold's head shot up when he heard Belle's voice at his door. He motioned for her to come in. She shut the door behind her and came up to his desk, looking down at him and saying, "Is there something you have to tell me?"_

 _He shook his head, "No, why Belle?"_

" _Are you sure, there's nothing?" she insisted._

 _He nodded, "Of course. I don't keep anything from you."_

" _I wish you would tell me the truth, just once." she sighed as she crossed her arms, "How could you?"_

" _How could I what?"_

 _She rolled her eyes, "Sleep with Regina!"_

 _His mouth dropped as the door opened and Regina appeared, "Gold, we have to talk-"_

 _Belle spun around and stared at Regina, "I can come back another time."_

" _Oh, no. By all means, come join us. I'm sure Gold would love for you to." Belle sassed as Regina stared down to the floor and shut the door behind her._

" _How could you sleep with her?" Belle yelled._

 _Gold stood, "Please lower your voice, Belle."_

" _I will speak as loudly as I want to," she turned to Regina, "You slut! You back stabbing bitch! I never should have trusted you with my friendship! How could you do this to me?"_

" _I'm sorry, Belle, I really am. You don't understand why-"_

" _Save your excuses." she said as she turned back to Gold._

" _Let me explain." he said._

 _She rolled her eyes, "If you have a good reason to why you slept with my friend and your employee, let me hear it."_

 _He sighed but said no words._

" _If you had to pick one of us, who would it be, Gold?" she said with wet eyes, "Would you rather her over me?"_

" _It's not like that, Belle. It was a one-time thing, I had to-"_

" _Pick one of us, and I won't speak a word of this whole thing." Belle yelled._

 _Regina looked up to Gold with hopeful eyes. He knew how much she needed the job and how good of an employee she was._

 _Gold sghe, "Belle, I'm sorry, but Regina has more qualifications than you do and she has been working here longer, and I-"_

 _She started to cry, "You're picking her over me, your girlfriend?"_

" _Pack up your things, Miss French." Gold sighed as he looked down to the floor. Regina's mouth dropped before Belle turned and walked up to her, before slapping her right in the face and storming out of the office, crying._

" _Gold, I don't know what to say-"_

" _Regina, I did that because you need the money to keep up with your father's health, not because I'd rather you over her."_

 _Regina bit her lip and nodded before leaving Gold in his office, alone._

Regina sighed as she shook her head. It was never meant to end that way. No one was ever to find out. Still, no one knew how Belle found out. Guess there's really no truth in a secret. She wondered how Belle was there right now - maybe they made up? The only way to find out was to ask. She strolled over to her and sighed before speaking, "Ms. French, hello."

"It's actually Mrs. Gold, but how can I-" her mouth dropped, "Why the hell are you here?"

"I know you're probably still angry with me, but I really need to talk to Gold. It's important."

She scoffed, "How could you come back here? You know exactly how much everyone hates you for what you did. How's your father? Probably living a perfect life, after you paid for that surgery with the money you got from-"

"He passed away last year." she said.

"Oh, well," Belle softened her tone but still remained sour, "Karma is a bitch sometimes."

The door to Gold's office opened as Gold stepped out and met Regina's eye contact, "Regina-"

Regina smiled, "We need to talk."

"Come." Gold said as Regina stepped into his office, "What's wrong?"

"Why did you call me to warn me about Daniel?" she said as he closed the door.

"I told you I was worried-"

"No you weren't worried, you were taunting me, reminding me of my past," she said as she crossed her arms, "Why would you do that?"

He sighed, "Let me explain-"

"I don't have time for excuses. Tell me that Daniel put you up to it and that you have a good reason for obeying his orders." she said, stepping away from him.

He held out his hand to grab her but she flinched away, "Regina, you don't understand. I had to, he was going to hurt-"

"Belle? Mrs. Gold?" Regina spit out, "He threatened her so you attack me?"

"She's my wife, I have to protect her." he said, "We both know he's abusive, I couldn't let him touch her."

"Don't call me, don't talk to me. I'm done with you, Gold." she said.

He followed her to the door, "You have to understand. You were always first in line, she was second. When I married her, she became first and you became second. I can't drop her for you."

She sighed, "No, when you got married, you lost half of your guts and you have not determination to fight anymore. What was the deal he made with you?"

"Worry you, Belle would be safe and he'd pay me a couple thousand," he admitted.

"It's always about money." she said as she rolled her eyes and opened the door, "We're done, forever."

"Regina, please-"

Regina charged out of his office and ran through the lobby before running to Robin's car and driving out of the parking lot. She glanced at her phone, noticing the many text and missed calls from Robin, before dialing his number and letting her feelings come over her.

 _Regina, finally. Where the hell are you? I've been calling and texting and I'm worried._

"I'm sorry. I had some business to get done with and-"

 _Tell me the truth, Regina. What is going on, and where are you?_

"Robin, I can't-"

 _You can, Regina. Let me in. Talk to me, please. Where are you? I'm coming to meet you._

"East 478 and Main St, exit 46, about an hour from your house." she sniffled as her wet eyes began to leak.

 _Stay right there. I'm coming for you. Do you understand?_

"Yes," she hung up the phone and pulled of the side of the road and shut the car off, before bursting into tears.

* * *

Robin pulled up behind his black mustang before shutting the car off and running to the car. He knocked on the window and saw Regina's red eyes and wet face. He tugged on the door for her to unlock it, "Regina."

She unlocked the car and stood up, falling into his arms and crying some more.

"I'm here, it's alright."

"I'm so sorry. Robin. I'm so sorry." she said. He rubbed her back and hushed her cries, before opening the back door and sliding both of them inside the car.

"Talk to me." he said. She told him why she was up there, so far away from his house, why she took his car, why she was crying. She explained her history with Belle, Gold, Neal, and the entire problem with Gold Corporations. Along with that information, she told him about her father and what his condition was when she had chosen to do the deed with Gold. He didn't say anything or react in any negative way; he just took in all of the information that she was trusting him with. She told him about Daniel's deal with Gold and how he chose Belle over her, how he lost half of his guts and wasn't living his full potential as a man. She explained that she wasn't that kind of girl anymore, who sleeps with someone for money; she wasn't the same slut she was back in high school. And at the end of it all, she promised him that she wouldn't keep anymore secrets from him and would talk to him when she was hurting. Then, and only then, was the moment he replied to her, "I still love you, even with you past and problems. I will continue to love you through all of it."

She stared up at him, her glossy eyes meeting his bright blue ones, before she blushed and sent him a small smile as he said, "There's your smile."

"Robin, can I ask you something?" she said.

He nodded, "Anything."

"What was Marian like?" she said, snugging closer to him.

"She's in the past, are you sure you want to know?" he said.

"I want to know about all parts of you, past, present, and future."

He kissed her lips lightly before telling her how they met.

* * *

 **REVIEW. I know I may have jumbled your minds a lot, but I hope that you get something from this chapter, because next chapter will be a lot of smutty, hot, anger, betrayal, history repeating, and some other surprises.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello everyone. Spring break starts this weekend so hopefully I can write a bunch and post more often for you all. As promised, this chapter will be a big, long one, and you will probably enjoy reading most of it. (wink wink) Next chapter will be extremely long, and I probably won't post it until next Tuesday. I like to keep you in suspense. Anyways, here you go and enjoy.**

 **Kisses.**

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Robin? I mean we don't have to if you aren't comfortable yet-"

He kissed her lips sweetly, "I'd like nothing more."

Regina smiled as she let him lock their hands, before they walked into the building of Locksley Incorporated. She instantly felt the knots in her stomach get tighter. Her nerves got the best of her; her body was shaking and her head started to hurt. She looked over at Robin, who seemed determined to let the news out. He had a smile on his face and tightened his grip on her hand before they stepped into the lobby and were showcased to everyone. Robin nudged her a little as he signed himself in and then her, before her eyes widened at the many workers who stared at the two. They began whispering and continued to stare at the two.

"Another one?" Yelled a worker.

"Gee, can't stop screwing them, hey Robin?" Another laughed.

"Will you propose and break up with this one too?" Another yelled.

Robin rubbed her hand with his thumb and shook his head before whispering to her, "Don't let it bother you."

"I was going to say the same to you," Regina said before turning to the crowd of employees that were currently whispering, "And for you all, before you comment on another man's relationship, why don't you get your own first?"

"Damn, babe's got sass!" One said back at her.

"And babe's got ass!" Another joined in. Regina's stopped in her tracks and turned her head away. Robin held her in place, otherwise she would have bolted and yanked what hair they had left off of their heads. He told her they weren't worth her time. Regina sighed and flipped her hair before turning back around and going with Robin to his office.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "They're men. I can't stop them from being born jerks."

"It's fine," she shrugged, "I've heard worse."

"Hey listen, you want to go to lunch on break? We can go to that little cafe down the street that makes that coffee you really enjoy?" He said.

She nodded, "I'd love to, sir."

Regina walked over to him and put her hands on his chest before getting up on her tippy toes and kissing his lips, "I have to go talk to Snow. Don't miss me too much."

"Already am, and you're still in my arms," he said before stealing another kiss and then pushing her away to go talk to Snow. She blushed as she left the room, making her way through the lobby quickly and entering Snow's office without being seen.

Snow smirked, "Regina, if I do say so myself, I'd say you look smitten."

"Robin and I went public," she said.

"I saw," Snow nodded, "People don't appreciate love enough."

Regina replied, "Yeah, these men are insane."

"So, what's up?" Snow asked.

Regina went to sit down in front of Snow's desk, but Snow met her halfway and sat down on the couch with her. She took Snow's hands and smiled, "I wanted to officially and meaningfully apologize to you. I really am sorry about what I did to you. I shouldn't have lied in the first place, and I shouldn't have lied to you about lying. I was just in a dark place and I couldn't trust anyone. It wasn't you; in fact, you are a great person. I was just not ready to love myself enough and to believe I was worthy of a friend like you. Please forgive me."

"You are forgiven." Snow squeezed Regina's hands before her phone buzzed, "Oops, have to go meet David. Forgot I had a baby appointment today."

Regina laughed as she hugged Snow, tightly and for a long time. She missed her. She missed Snow. Snow pulled away and walked Regina out before she rushed to her car and drove away. Regina spun around and bumped into John.

"I'm not in the mood for you or your jokes, John."

"But I'm in the mood for you, Regina," he said, "Why don't we go somewhere quieter to _talk_?"

"I'd rather not," she pushed past him and then was stopped by Marcus, "What are you looking at?"

Marcus laughed, "Just the fact that Johnny over there is still staring at you."

Regina looked over her shoulder, "John, stop it. That's immoral!"

"I can show you something immoral!" John said back.

"Ew," she said as she turned back to Marcus, "Is there a reason you're still in my way?"

"Um, you're just, uh," Marcus stuttered as Leroy came behind him.

Leroy put his hand on Regina's shoulder and smiled, "He was holding you for me."

"Not you too-"

"Let's go, your majesty," Leroy pulled her to the emergency staircase, "Listen, I have bad news."

"You know how I hate to hear bad news. What is it this time?" She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Leroy stared at her before finally letting out, "Someone's on their way back from Maine, that's all the details I got. Don't shoot the messenger, but I have a terrible feeling about this. Does Robin know?"

"That you work for the secret service my father owned? No. He doesn't even know who my father was. I don't even know how to tell him. I promised that I wouldn't lie to him, but it isn't lying if you don't tell anything right?"

"I'm not good with relationship stuff." Leroy said before slipping past her, "Just don't mention my name."

Regina rubbed her temples in frustration before fixing her hair and making her way back into the lobby to go get some work done before break.

* * *

Regina's stomach hurt. And it wasn't because she was hungry. Keeping another secret from Robin after she had promised she wouldn't, now that was what made her stomach knot up. We put her hands on her stomach and sighed while shaking her head. The door opened as she spun around and dropped her hands.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded, "Wow, eleven thirty already?"

Robin laughed as Regina took his hand and smiled.

They drove to the cafe and got a booth in the back. Regina got the coffee she always liked and a turkey sandwich, while Robin got a cappuccino and a salad. The two talked a while, almost an hour, before they finally finished their food. Break was usually only a half hour, but Robin gave them leeway. Regina offered to pay for her meal, but Robin insisted that "his woman" should never offer to pay. It was his treat after all.

"Thank you for lunch," she said.

Robin nodded as he grabbed her hand and stood up, "Just one more thing."

"And what'll that be?"

He pulled her into a kiss, putting his hands on her head and the small of her back and pulling her as close as she could be to his body. She was surprised but kissed him back eagerly. When their lips parted, Robin pulled her with her into a back hallway of the cafe, and brought her I the way back by the emergency exit door before pushing her against the wall and leaning closely into her space. His hands found her waist and began to feel her body, while his eyes shifted back and forth between her eyes and her lips. She smirked at his offer, letting her fingers find the top button of his shirt and slowly twisting them open with her thumb and middle finger. They caught gazes and stared at each other for a second, until of course, Robin jumped right in and claimed her lips his. His tongue begged for entrance, but she continued to tease him, her hands rubbing against his chest and down to his own core, lightly brushing and then finding their way back up to his neck. He shivered at her contact when he figured out what game she was playing. Immediately, Robin stepped away from her and looked at her confused expression before saying, "Two can play at that game."

She raised an eyebrow as he came back to her, his fingers grazing over her breasts as they came up to her neck. He skimmed the tips of his fingers across her collarbone, making her let out a shallow breath, before he went down to the one button her shirt had and slipped it open. Her shirt fell open just enough to display her black lace bra, his eyes soon feasting on the image. She smirked and made her move, slipping her hand into the waistband of his pants and grabbing ahold of his tool.

"Going fast, are we?" He laughed.

"We do have to get back for work, so this might have to be a quickie." She replied before his claimed her lips again and let his hands work with the zipper of her pencil skirt. She aided him in slipping it off her legs and he spun her around for a more comfortable position. Robin slipped himself inside of her slowly, thrusting at a calm speed until she demanded, "A quickie doesn't mean a weak one, _love_ , work for it."

He obeyed her request as he thrusted faster into her, her grip tightening on his bicep and the wall, and her body soon falling into his embrace as her voice quavered. Robin kissed her again, as she smiled into it, before they lay their foreheads on the others and stared at each other. Regina stopped smiling when she saw the love in his eyes. The love for someone he thought was truthful and worthy of his love. The love for someone she wasn't. She shook her head and blinked before picking up her skirt and saying, "Better get back to work before I get more disgusting comments from your employees."

He laughed, "Don't let them bother you."

* * *

When they arrived back, Regina made sure to apply a new coat of lipstick and fix her hair before settling inside with Robin. She didn't need anyone commenting on the makeup that was slurred all over her face, or Robin's for that matter, or the way her hair was messed up. However, by the time they got back, she was sure they would know that her and Robin were doing _something._ They were gone for a good three hours. She did one more self-check before getting out of the car. Regina walked across the parking lot as Robin caught up to her and said, "You okay? You didn't say a word the whole ride here."

"It was a two minute ride, and yes, I'm fine." She said without looking at him. When they stepped inside, everyone was silent and staring, again.

Regina strutted inside, Robin following after her, when she was pulled aside by Snow.

"What possessed you to think that was a good idea?" Snow whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

Snow pointed to Regina blouse, which was still unbuttoned and hanging open, wide enough for the entire staff to see her lace undergarments. Regina sighed and said, "Shit, I checked myself four times, too."

"Love blinds you," Snow said, "Be sure to check yourself five times next time you two, uh."

Regina nodded, "Well, now everyone knows what we were doing. Thank you, how did your appointment go?"

"Very well, we found out the gender," Snow said as she grabbed Regina's hands, "It's a girl."

"That's wonderful, and you're due when?"

"Three months." Snow said, "David and I can't wait, I have to file my absence soon."

Regina hugged her and smiled, "I'm so happy for you. I better get back to Robin and tell him about my blouse mistake before all of his employees confront him first."

Snow laughed as she pushed Regina away. Regina looked to the floor as she walked through the lobby. She could feel them staring at her. She walked past a group of men before she stopped and heard their comments.

"I bet she's great in bed."

"I'm sure she is, have you seen her body?"

"She's hot as fuck."

"I'd screw her."

"I'd screw her ten times."

"You wanna know what I'd do? I rip her clothes off and tie her down to the desk, take claim of every square inch of her body and-"

"That's enough boys. If you really wanted all this, you should have asked before Robin and I got together," she sassed as she turned around but kept staring at them, "You lost out on all this."

Their mouths dropped at her comment before she strutted away from them. She felt an overwhelming amount of confidence attack her as she smiled and went into her office, kicking the door shut behind her. Robin's head peeked through the connecting door and he sent her a smirk.

"Can I help you?" she said.

"I was hoping to get your mind off of those employees." he said as he strolled into her office and kicked the door shut. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he had a sly smirk on his face.

"And what did you have in mind, _love_?" she said.

He came close to her and tucked her hair behind her ear before taking his right hand out of his pocket and showcasing the roll of duct tape. Her eyes widened at the sight, "You mean?"

Robin nodded, "I figured the only way to get your mind off of it was to get your mind thinking of something else, right?"

Her hands met each other behind her back and she looked to the ground as he caressed her cheek, "You in or not?"

"Is this the best time?"

"Any time is the best time for old habits." he smirked as he pushed her body against the back of the couch. The duct tape fell onto his wrist as his other hand grabbed the mall of her back, pulling her body against his.

She looked up to him and bit her lip, "I guess we could see if it works."

He growled as he then took claim of her lips, roughly and more passionately than their slip at the cafe earlier. Robin's hands were in her hair, brushing it as the kiss grew more intense. He grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her in, as close to him as he could. She wrapped her leg around his body as he brought it up to his waist. Then she stopped and looked up at him, her breath fast and heavy, "Lock the door."

"No need." he said before sucking at her neck.

"What if someone comes in?" she let out.

"Then they get a free ticket front row at a fabulous, hot show." he smirked as he threw her over toward the desk, coming after her with a hungry stare. He grabbed her hand and spun her into him, walking her over to her desk chair. She sat down and raised an eyebrow as he pulled the roll of duct tape off of his wrist and began to wrap her wrists to the chair. She laughed as he went down to her ankles, then stood up and stared at the image in front of him. Then, he went to her lips and kissed her once, leaving the ghost of his lips on hers. She leaned forward for more but he headed down to her neck and started to suck the soft spot. At the same time, his hands untwisted the top button of her blouse and ripped it open, leaving her chest showcased for him to freely touch. She let a small moan escape her mouth as he hushed her and moved his hands down to her thighs. He rubbed them lightly until he bought the waistband of her skirt and slipped his fingers inside, pulling the material down to her ankles. Her body already ached for him. Regina's gaze grew hungry as she watched him bend down to his knees and separate her legs, feeling her inner thighs and gently skimming her burning core. Then, and only then was when Regina spoke, "Robin, please."

"Not just yet, my love." he smirked as he kissed her tender spot and began to work his tongue. Her body shuddered under his movements and she stared at him, noting that she was waiting for him. He smirked as he stood and slowly unbuttoned his pants, teasing her even more. He slipped them down to his ankles and came over to her, ripping the tape off of her body and yanking her towards him. Then, time froze.

Regina stared at him and licked her lips before he lifted her leg and entered her. She let out a moan as he began to thrust into her and whispered into her ear, "Don't be too loud."

"Robin, oh my god, right there." she said loudly.

"Quiet down, love Gina."

When she reached her climax, she fell into his body, her breath quick. He kissed her neck and then her lips before their foreheads met and they stared at each other.

"Thank you for, uh," she panted, "Getting my mind off of those jerks."

He laughed and rubbed her cheek, "Anytime, really. Let's do this again sometime."

She smirked, "It would be my pleasure."

Robin kissed her lips lightly before helping her dress again. Luckily, no one walked in on their little slip. She finally let him go to his office before she opened up the windows and let the fresh air take her in. Regina let out a sigh of content as she cleaned up their mess and went over to the couch to read a book.

* * *

 _An hour later..._

The door that connected the two offices flew open as Robin shuffled in and landed a pile of files on her desk.

She stared at him gapingly, "And these are?"

"We seem to have an issue." he said.

"And that is?"

He sighed and opened the top file, "I just got a call from the big guy. For the state's objective, you need to finish going through these and closing them out if they have been successful. If not, you have to fix them and contact the client."

She stared at him and crossed her arms, "I guess so."

"This _is_ your job, Regina. As much as I hate to say that you need to do something other than hang around me, you _have_ to do it or the state fires you." Robin squeezed her hand before leaving her alone with the stack of files. She plopped down in her chair and scooted into her desk, first going through the files to see which ones were completed.

When she got to the last one, she found a crumpled up piece of yellow paper that had something scribbled on it. She flattened it out and put it under her desk lamp before reading it in her head. It said:

 _Meet me on the corner of Elm and 32nd. 9:30pm. Alone. Have the files I've asked for and I'll leave your company alone._

 _Until then._

Regina read it over three times. She looked around and then back at the paper. Something was definitely fishy around there. Was it old? No. It looked like a fresh piece of paper. She got up, thinking that she could just go ask Robin what it was, but she thought, better not. Regina sighed and made her way back to her desk. She picked up her phone out of her purse and typed in the address. It came up as ten minutes from Robin's house. She saved the location for later, because she planned on secretly meeting up with this up known person, who was threatening Robin's company. Quickly, she hid the paper at the bottom of her purse before she began to call some clients.

* * *

When she got home, she changed into leggings and a sweater, along with a scarf and boots. She threw on a jacket and put her hair into a ponytail before grabbing her keys and heading back to the car. She plugged the address from her phone into the car's navigation system and backed out of the driveway, heading onto her twenty minute drive. When she made the final turn, she flipped her headlights off, pulled around the back parking lot and parked. She shut the car off and sat for a while.

Regina ducked down into her chair when she saw headlights of a mug familiar car, Robin's black mustang. She let her eyes inch up just so she could see through the car window. Robin got out of his car and walked across the parking lot in the pouring rain. His hand were in his pockets and his hood was covering his head, he seemed a little nervous. She let her body sit up a little more so she could get a better look.

Robin stopped at a dark red car, knocked on the window and waited a few seconds. In a matter of time, a woman stepped out. She was around Robin's height, looked older, and despite of the pouring rain, she looked happy to see Robin. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug that he reluctantly accepted. Her smile grew big as she took her hands back and stared at him.

The rain quieted down.

Regina cracked her window open to see if she could hear them.

"Robin, dear, how are you?" The woman said.

He shrugged, "Could be better."

"Is Regina really getting to you?"

He nodded slowly, "No, I just want what's best for her."

The woman held out her hand, "I can assure you that this is what's best for her."

Regina froze when she saw Robin take out an envelope and place it in the woman's hands.

"It better be." He said.

Regina stood from her car, their two heads turning at the sound of her car door slamming shut. She strutted across the parking lot and came to a stop, crossing her arms, "What the hell is this, Robin?"

The woman turned away and stuff the envelope in her pocket as Robin spoke, "Regina. Why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" Regina spit out, "I should be asking you that question."

Robin was at a loss of words. Regina rolled her eyes and grabbed the woman's wrist before turning her around. Her mouth dropped at the sight of the woman's face, her hand immediately finding the woman's chest and pushing her away.

"Regina, before you say anything-" the woman said as she put her hands in the air.

Regina stepped away from her and almost fell into Robin as she swallowed loudly, "How are you, why are you- Robin, how do you know her?"

He helped her up and spun her around in her arms, "I was paying her to keep Gold out of your life. I just wanted what was best for you and I knew if I told you, you would tell me not to, I just had to do what I thought was right-"

"Robin." She put her hand on his cheek and rub her thumb before smiling. Then, she dropped the smile and turned back to the woman, leaning back into Robin as his arms wrapped around her body.

"Regina." The woman said.

"What are you doing here?"

"Regina, how do you know her?" Robin asked.

Regina gulped and stared at the woman, "She's my mother."

* * *

 **A/N: Welp. Let me know what you thought about everything. I love your responses so far. Keep them coming. Love you all.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Things are about to take a very twisted turn. I hope you all are prepared. And just for you, I have decided to make this an extra long chapter. Enjoy it and let me know your reaction to it all.**

 **Kisses.**

* * *

"Cora? Care to explain?" Regina said, pushing Robin back a few feet and crossing her arms.

Cora shrugged, "I missed my little girl?"

"Cut to the chase, Cora. What's the real reason you're here?" Regina spit out as she pulled the envelope from Cora's pocket and threw it to the ground.

Cora sighed and gave Regina the stare that was so molded into her mind, "Well don't just stand there, you foolish child! Pick that up."

Regina was so stunned that her body froze. She couldn't feel anything and she was about as scared as they could come. Her mother snapped at her and Regina immediately fell to the floor and scrambled to pick up the dispersed money. It took her a few seconds to straighten it out and order them like they were supposed to be. Her mother just stood there and stared at her, wide eyed and arms crossed.

"Why are you here?" she said to her mother, and then continued to herself, "You can't be."

Regina looked down at the paper where she had the scribbled address and checked the street, and let out a shallow breath. She was scared. Robin grabbed her back because he could sense her fear.

"Well, we haven't seen each other in quite some time, have we?" her mother folded her hands and gave a little smile, "I guess we could use this as some time to catch up?"

Regina was surprised. In all her life, in her entire 27 years of life, her mother wanted nothing to do with her, but all of sudden, she wanted to 'catch up'?

Nothing was making sense.

Her mother gave her a slightly annoyed look, and from what Regina remembered, that look was something you didn't want mess with. Regina let out a long sigh and rubbed her eyes, "I guess so, maybe there's something redeemable in you."

"Well, let's get a move on it then." her mother stepped aside and invited Regina and Robin inside the building, which was dark and seemed quite lonely.

From the looks of it, the place was fit for a villain. It had grey walls in every room, that was complemented by the off white carpeting. There were only a few windows, not many electronics, and only two doors, one in the front and one in the back. There were no doors to get into each room, only the small opening in the walls where a door would usually be placed. There was little to no furniture in each room and Regina could only conjure up one good thing about it all: it smelt like apples.

"You've grown up, I see." her mother sat down on the single couch in the dimmed living room, and waited for Regina to reply.

Regina nodded and looked around. She decided to stand, "Yes, I grew up, I helped around the house, got an internship at 19, and am now a successful, independent woman."

She wanted to impress her mother, and also wanted to make her jealous. Jealous of the life she never had. Jealous of the life she chose to leave.

"You took care of your father?" her mother said, surprised.

"Some one had to after you left," Regina scoffed at her mother, but soon regretted it, "Why did you do that anyway?"

"My dear Regina," her mother started with, she called her over to sit next to her. Robin hesitantly let her do so, but Regina was intrigued for an answer. Her mother started to play with Regina's hair and spoke, "I wasn't ready. Robin dear, why don't you go fix us some drinks?"

Robin raised an eyebrow as he eyed Regina. She told him to follow her mother's demand. Robin left the room.

Regina was so stuck in the past, she began to remember the times that her mother used to braid her hair at the end of each night, so she could get up early and ride her horse without the hassle of her hair flying in her face. She smiled to herself as her mother continued, "I wasn't ready for a family. Once your father and I were told about having you, I went on a downward spiral."

Regina turned to her mother and started to see the woman she used to be, the one who used to love her, the one who used to play with her, before something had clicked inside of her and made her leave.

Cora was no angel. She had done bad things in the past, which she had never told Regina, or her husband for that matter. She had loans to pay off, she had crimes to hide from, and worst of all, she had a belief that love was weakness. She did love Regina, _once_ , when she was very little. She would run around the yard with her and maybe play a game of hide and seek or two if they had time. Cora would give Regina lessons on riding horses, or maybe make her a surprise batch of pancakes for breakfast. Then something just happened. Out of nowhere. Cora started coming home late every night. She wouldn't tell her husband where she had been, and when she did, it was always 'at the store'. Regina, being the adventurous little girl she was, grew more and more curious of her mother's disappearance, and one day, she followed her.

Cora never went to any store. Not once. Regina had seen her meet up with some guy, who was tall and strong. He had a higher voice for a man. She had never heard Cora call him anything by Mister, which she thought was safe to assume was his name. Regina had seen them kiss once or twice, and that's when she ran. She had concluded that Cora was seeing other men, because she no longer loved Regina and her father. She no longer wanted to be with them - to be their family.

Five days later, Regina woke up early and found a note lying on the table that stated:

 _Regina and Henry,_

 _I couldn't do it. Thanks for what you gave me but I had to go my own way._

 _Cora_

"You left us, your home, your family. You left your only daughter." Regina stood up from the couch and stared at Cora.

"That was so long ago, can't you get over it?" Cora said, standing up and facing Regina.

Now that the conversation about the past had started, Regina started to feel more and more unsafe in that building, especially since Robin had not yet come back from fixing them drinks.

"You could have told Daddy that you were seeing other men, you didn't have to leave and pretend 'you couldn't handle it'." Regina said, stepping away from her mother.

"How do you know I was seeing other men?" Cora said, completely surprised.

"I saw you, with Mister, was it?" Regina said, backing up against the door. Cora thought a moment and then let out an, _ah_.

"Mister?"

Regina nodded.

"You mean as in Mr. Gold?" Cora asked.

"Oh my," Regina said, backing up, "You must be joking."

"My dear, why do you think he hired you? Why do you think he promoted you? Why do you think he recommended you to work with Robin?" Cora said, slowly walking towards Regina. Regina tried to back away from her, but she was already as close as she could get to the door. The only other solution was running outside.

"No. You, this, him, it can't be." Regina tried to resist the obvious.

Cora nodded and said, "But it is."

"Shit, tell me you're lying." Regina said.

"Watch your profanity, Regina Marie." Cora said.

Regina froze at the sound of her middle name, "Don't say that. You have no right to tell me what I can and can't do anymore. You lost that privilege when you left Daddy and I."

Cora rolled her eyes pushed her towards the wall until she was backed up all the way against it, "I do and will always have power over you, Regina. I was being a courteous mother by getting Robin to pay me so I could keep Gold restrained."

"Gold would never hurt me."

"Believe what you want, but believing doesn't make it true. I've seen the darker side of him, and it's not something you want to be on," she said, "But, by my knowledge, you already are on that side, aren't you?"

Regina stayed silent as she saw Robin coming back not the room. He dropped the glasses and ran toward her, "Cora, what the hell?"

"Just a little mother-daughter talk, that's all." she said as she backed away from Regina and looked back at her, "I warned you."

"Stay out of my life." Regina said as Robin grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door.

Cora muttered as the two made their way out of the door, "You'll wish you never said that."

* * *

"That woman is insane." Robin said as he rushed Regina to his car, "We'll leave your car here and come get it tomorrow morning. You're coming home with me."

"Robin, relax. She can't do anything to me," Regina said as she stopped in the middle of the street.

Robin shook his head and looked at her with hopeful eyes, "I don't care if she can or can't. I just care that you're with me either way."

Regina smiled and rolled her eyes as he continued to drag her to his car and put her in the passenger seat. He started the car and drove out of the parking lot quickly. She let her hand fall onto his as she looked over to him, "Thank you for being concerned, Robin."

He nodded, "Of course, I always-"

"But, if she does anything, you need to stay out of it. This is my fight, not yours."

His mouth dropped before he shook his head and turned away from her, not saying another word for the rest of the drive. When they got to his house, he helped her out, but still didn't speak to her. He got himself a bottle of wine and headed into his room, without making eye contact with her.

She shook her head as she hung her coat and kicked off her heels. She knew that he was hurt because she didn't want his help, but she couldn't risk him getting hurt. Robin meant everything to her, and Cora would go to any and every length to get what she wanted. Regina sighed and poured herself a glass of water before making her way up the stairs and to the guest room across the hallway from Robin's bathroom. The door to his bathroom was cracked open. She saw him standing in front of the mirror, staring at himself, hurt and yet determined. He ran his fingers through his hair and took the towel from around his neck, throwing it in the hamper. Within the next second, he turned and met her gaze, holding it for a good minute and then coming into the hallway. He looked to the floor and then back up to her eyes, letting even more awkward silence fill the air, before he opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by her words.

"I appreciate your concern, I really do," she said as she looked down to the floor, "I actually value it since I've never had someone care for me so much since my father. But I can't risk you getting hurt. I don't know what I'd do without you beside me, Robin. Letting you in on this is like dooming myself to hell, and damning you to destruction. I can't do that, I just can't."

He nodded and rubbed his chin before bringing her chin up so that their gazes met once more, "I understand. Come on, don't sleep alone in the guest room."

Regina pursed her lips and nodded reluctantly before following him into his room. She went into his drawer and grabbed a t-shirt and sweatpants for quickly changing into it and getting into his bed. He first just looked at her before he came close and wrapped his arms around her cold body, holding her close to his body and kissing her forehead.

* * *

Regina woke up at 4AM. She slipped out of Robin's grasp and grabbed her clothes on the way to the bathroom. In a few minutes, she was dressed and fixing her hair before applying a new coat of makeup and running down the stairs to her jacket and shoes. It was still dark out and probably freezing. She zipped her jacket and put her heels on before stealing a scarf from his coat closet and heading out the front door to his car. Again, she found herself deceiving everything she had promised him, and stealing his car to go and meet Gold.

She parked in the back parking lot and ran inside, rushing to Belle and begging, "Please let me see him. I know he doesn't want to see me, but, surprisingly, I need him."

"I don't really care about what you need, Regina." Belle sassed as she continued typing, "Is that all?"

"Belle, please. I'll do anything." Regina said as Gold's office door opened and Gold stepped outside, eyeing her down.

"Miss Mills? What are you doing here?" he said.

"We need to talk. Now." Regina said as she came up to him and pushed him into his office, kicking the door shut behind her and locking in in one motion.

He laughed, "If you wanted me alone, you could have just asked. I mean, we both know just exactly how much fun we both had when we-"

Her eyes widened as she shook her head, "No, thank you. Not after what I just found out."

"And what would that be, dearie?"

Regina paused and then laughed at him, "You slept with my mother."

Gold froze and stared at Regina.

"And me," Regina laughed, "I guess we Mills women have something going for us. That you want to use us and sleep with us to get what you want?"

"Regina, it isn't like that." he said, "It was never like that."

"I really don't want to talk about it, Gold, really don't want to." she said with a disgusted face, "I'm here for one reason and it's not to talk about how you and my mother had sex, possibly at the same time we did. That's just a nightmare on its own."

He raised his hands in a surrender motion as a smiled creeped up on his face and he sat down on his office couch. Regina flattened the nonexistent wrinkles on her skirt and stepped toward him before sighing, "I think there is a possibility that my mother will snap and go for Robin."

"What makes you think that?" Gold smirked at her.

"Why are you smirking? You know something," she said, coming to him, "Tell me."

He shook his head, "Client confidentiality. No can do."

She kneeled onto the couch and grabbed his collar, pulling him toward her, "Gold, I swear, if you don't tell me, I'll-"

"You'll destroy me?" he smirked, "I could use some of your destruction methods about now."

She pushed him back onto the couch and paced around his office, "If you have anything to do with my mother's plan, Gold, I will kill you."

He shook his head, "All I can say is that I would watch your and Robin's backs. That's it."

"Are you kidding me?"

"You can leave now." Gold said as he stood up.

Regina's mouth dropped, "Tell me what she is planning, Gold."

"You have nothing to offer me, dearie." he said as he unlocked the door and opened it, "Now get out."

She rolled her eyes and strutted out of his office and to Robin's car, quickly driving out of the parking lot and back to Robin's house before Robin's alarm went off at 7AM.

* * *

"Good morning, beautiful," Robin hummed as he grabbed Regina's waist and kissed her temple. She opened her eyes, even though she wasn't really sleeping, and turned to him before yawning. With a smile, she rubbed their noses together before staring at him.

"Morning."

Robin laid a light kiss on her lips before she turned around and stared at the wall. His hand rubbed her stomach as he sighed contently, "How was your sleep?"

Her eyes widened, "Very well, and yours?"

"Terrible," he said, "I had a bad feeling and was twisting and turning all night."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said as she moved back to his body and continued to stare at the wall.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, "Yes, of course. You want pancakes or French toast?"

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, "As much as I'd love to sit and eat breakfast with you, I have a meeting with Will in about an hour. I better get to the shower."

She pouted as he kissed her lips once more and stood from the bed, making his way to the bathroom and showering.

When he was gone, Regina let out a long sigh and shook her head. Secrets weren't the key to a healthy relationship. In fact, secrets were what broke them.

Regina grabbed her clothes and changed quickly before walking into the bathroom and saying, "Robin, love?"

He stuck his head out of the shower, "Yep?"

"I'm going to go get a coffee, you want anything?" She said.

He shook his head, "No, it's quite alright. I won't be here when you get back. Take the mustang; I'll take the lamborghini. See you at work later."

She nodded and left the bathroom. After making her way down the stairs, she grabbed her jacket and purse before pulling on her shoes, and then ran to the mustang.

She drove fast down the roads. She was anxious, scared, nervous, confused. She was overwhelmed with anything and everything. She came to a short stop at a red light, almost getting hit by the car behind her and the cars coming at her from the opposite side, because she wasn't paying attention. Her body jerked forward, her head hitting the steering wheel and her vision blacking out completely.

" _Daddy, why would she leave?" Regina pouted in his arms. She was only nine. She had lost her mother, her best friend, the only one that understood her. She had lost the one person that taught her how to ride, that kept her braids unknotted, that baked her those surprise batches of pancakes. She had lost her mother._

 _Henry rubbed her back and hushed her cries, "Sometimes, people just aren't ready for a family."_

" _Does she not love me?" Regina said._

" _No, no, Regina. Your mother loves you very much. More than you will ever know."_

 _Regina continued to cry, "Then why did she leave me?"_

 _Before he could answer, Regina ran out of his arms and up the stairs. She locked herself in her room and began to stare at herself in the mirror. In a few seconds, she found a pair of scissors from her art drawer and took them in her hand. She walked back over to her mirror and gave herself a disgusted expression before grabbing her long braids and cutting them off at her shoulder. She wanted nothing to do with her mother, nothing to remind her that she had left._

 _Daddy was sick. How could her mother just get up and leave one day? How was it so easy to leave a man who was practically dying more and more each day?_

 _Regina was nine. How was it easy to leave behind a young girl who just wanted to ride her horses and paint her art? How could her mother not look back?_

 _She cried as she dropped her braids to the floor, covering her mouth and throwing the scissors onto her bed. Regina had never felt so broken. She had never felt so unwanted._

 _She had never felt unloved._

"Regina Mills, can you open your eyes? Can you hear me at all?"

 _At the age of 16, she had taken up a part-time job down at the corner store. It was a few streets away from their home, so it was easy for her to get to and fro there. She worked every night, trying to salvage any funds she could to add to her father's medication bills. Her grades were going down drastically and her free time was dying down to a mere hour a day._

" _Miss Mills, can you stay for a minute?" Her teacher said. She nodded reluctantly as the rest of the students filed out of the classroom, the last closing the door and leaving her alone with her teacher._

" _Can we make this quick? I have somewhere to be-"_

" _Regina, honey. I know how you're living. I know that you are working tons of hours. I understand the conditions in which you are living under, but I need you to understand that your education is extremely important." Her teacher said._

 _She nodded, "I know. I'm trying. I have to go, sorry."_

 _Regina would rush home and quickly change, eating whatever leftovers there were from the previous night, then leave again to go work. She usually got home around 10pm every night, would kiss her father goodnight, and head to bed. She did her homework on the bus the next morning._

"Regina? Please, wake up. Don't leave me."

 _She ran through the house and hugged her father tightly, "I'm back from college, Daddy."_

 _He laughed and then let out a cough, "I'm very proud of you, Regina. And your mother would be, too."_

" _Let's not mention her, okay? How are you feeling?"_

" _Tell me about it, honey." He said, ignoring her._

 _She smiled and sat down next to him, "I got this job at Gold Corporations and it's really good, I'm really getting the hang of it. Plus, I met this guy, Daniel, at school and we've been hanging out. I hope he can meet you sometime."_

" _That's wonderful," Henry said._

 _She raised her eyebrow and stared at him, "What's wrong? You're acting weird."_

" _Oh, no. I'm fine." He said._

" _You're lying. Tell me what's wrong, Daddy."_

 _He sighed and took her hands in his, "I went to the doctors last week. They told me that I have a high percentage of passing away unless I get a certain surgery-"_

" _Then get the surgery-"_

" _It's not that easy," he said, "It's tons of money that we really don't have."_

 _She took her hands away to wipe away the tears that were forming in her eyes, "You can have everything I've saved."_

" _It's not enough, Regina. I guess it's just my time-"_

" _Don't speak like that, Daddy. I'll get the money. You aren't leaving me, too." She said as she stood and put her jacket on._

 _He sent her a smile before nodding and watching her leave the house, with a scent of determination, anger, and yes, vulnerability._

"Regina!"

Her eyes blinked open as she looked around and her vision slowly cleared up. She saw the red and blue flashing light as she squinted and then made eye contact with familiar blue eyes.

"Oh my god, thank you," he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her forehead, "Please don't ever scare me like that ever again."

"What happened?" She said as she looked down to her shirt and saw the stains of blood, "Where am I?"

A paramedic came over to them and bent down in front of the two, "You were in an accident. Fortunately, your injuries aren't too bad, just some cuts and bruises that will heal before you know it."

"But I was at a red light. I wasn't even driving. What-"

"A drunk teenager came by, at the speed of 125mph, and hit the back of your car. You crashed into the incoming traffic," the paramedic said, "Fortunately for you, the person driving toward you noticed before it was too late. You could have been dead."

"It's a sign, you know. It's something saying you're supposed to still be here," another paramedic said to her, "Don't waste it."

Regina's eyes widened as she hugged Robin again, who still had not let her go since the moment she woke. He squeezed her hand and kept kissing her forehead, hushing his own pleads and cries. He looked at her with watery eyes and cocked his head to the side, "Where were you going? The cafe is right by my house, nowhere near here."

"I'm not sure," she looked around and gave him a confused look, "I think I was just driving. I needed to time away from it all. What time is it?"

"9:30. You were unconscious for about a half hour. I got here as soon as I could, but-"

"But what?" She said.

He sighed and shook his head, "They called your first relative before me, that's why I was here so late. I was called by your relative."

"Cora is here?"

He nodded as he shifted to the side, letting Regina see Cora, who was pacing back and forth on the phone. Cora turned her head and stared at Regina. She hung up her call and stored her phone in her purse before coming toward the two.

Robin stood up and stopped her a few feet from Regina, "I don't know what you're up to, but this is a serious matter. I don't need her heart hurting when her body clearly is."

"I'm her mother, move aside." Cora said as she bent down in front of Regina, "Now is that how you get my attention? You drive all crazy, get in an accident, and almost die at the hands of that man?"

Regina scooted back a little and crossed her arms, "That _man_ has a name. It's Robin, and I love him. You don't need to be here if it's such a hassle."

Cora rolled her eyes, "Love is weakness, Regina."

Regina rolled her eyes and then looked towards Robin, who was talking to a paramedic, "I'm stronger than ever, Cora. Love is strength."

"How are you even my child? Was it Henry who brought you up this way? Has he ruined all possibilities of your future? Where the hell is he anyway? Fooling around with younger girls?" Cora said as she stood up.

Regina stood up and her face grew red, "My father, your husband, the one _you_ left to die so you could have fun on your own time, he's gone. He's dead, Cora. I was the one who got stuck working the awful hours, I was the one who paid for his medication and his surgeries, I was the one he could count on. But I let him down. I couldn't do it anymore; I couldn't live like that. I tried everything I could. When the last surgery bill came, hell broke. You want to know what I did to get that money?"

"Regina, calm down. You're making a scene-"

"I will not calm down, this is my life. I choose what I do. Let me finish my damn sentence for once," she said.

Cora rolled her eyes and snapped at her, "Then finish, I have things to do and people to see. This isn't worth my time."

"I slept with Gold," Regina said, "I slept with him to get the couple thousand I needed for Daddy's surgery. And you know what really sucks? He still died."

" _You_ slept with Gold? That son of bitch-"

Regina started to walk away, "That's not the point. What I'm saying is that I did everything in my power for those I love and you, you just walked away from it."

"Regina Marie Mills, get your ass back over here." Cora said, fuming.

Regina ignored her and got into Robin's lamborghini before Robin followed her and they drove away, leaving Cora alone by the ambulance.

* * *

Robin got an ice pack from his freezer and brought it over to her, holding it to her head and frowning, "Regina, I-"

"I know," she sighed and caressed his cheek, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again, please, just don't worry so much about me."

"I have to worry about you." He said.

She shook her head, "I can't have you worrying about me, Robin. It's not going to happen again, just forget about it."

She hopped off the counter and stepped away from him, sending him a longing gaze and then turning away and walking up the stairs.

Robin sighed as he walked out of the kitchen, through the hallway, and into his office room. He sat down on the swivel chair and spun around to his desk, grabbing a key from under his desk lamp. Then, he unlocked the bottom right drawer and grabbed the small box that had been sitting there for some time.

In a matter of minutes, Robin was up the stairs and knocking on the guest room door.

"What is it, Robin?" Regina said as she sighed and turned to him. He came next to her and sat down, grabbing her hand and sighing.

He looked at her eyes, big and beautiful, "I won't ever stop worrying about you."

"Robin-"

"Please, let me finish," he said.

She nodded.

He smiled, "I will never stop worrying, I care too much to stop. At the thought of you ever leaving me, has my stomach in knots and my heart in pieces. I can't think of a world without you in it."

Her eyes grew watery.

"In these past few months that I've known you, that you've worked for me, that we've been together, I've learned so many things: how to be the better man, how to fix my mistakes, how to fall in love. I've learned that everything comes with consequences and that everything isn't simple. But above it all, I've learned how to truly love someone," he said, turning to her and putting his one hand in his pocket, "I can't stop caring or worrying or being there for you because I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered.

Robin stood from the bed and got down on one knee, taking the small box out of his pocket and flicking it open, revealing a big diamond that sparkled as much as her eyes were, and said, "Please, let me worry. Let me care. Let me love you, Regina. I promise no harm will come your way; your every wish will be my command; I'll love you to my last dying day. Please let me be the man that _can_ worry about you, that _can_ care about you. Let me be the one to love you now and forever."

Her mouth dropped at the sight of the diamond and at his words, her eyes grew even more watery, and she held a longing gaze with him as he spoke again, "Marry me; be mine."

* * *

 **A/N: HOLY COW WHAT THE HOLD UP HUH A PROPOSAL?! I hope you enjoy the way I did it. I know that there are obviously more extravagant ways to propose, but this was a more meaningful way of doing it. Appreciate it, because it's a loving moment that will most likely be destroyed sooner or later. Review, please.**

 **XOXOX**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello everyone! I left you on a big cliffhanger with the previous chapter. I have an insane amount of work to do all before Tuesday when I go back to school, so if I can't get a chapter up on Tuesday, I'll post one on Friday that is extra long.**

 **I also am very sorry that this chapter may seem a little rushed. I wrote it fast so that I could update you all on time.**

 **Just to clear any confusion - the ring that Robin proposed to Marian with was given back to him back in chapter one, and he threw it out the office window and into the ocean. So, yes, the ring that he proposed to Regina with is brand new and bought especially for her.**

 **In addition to that, Cora's intentions may not yet be clear to you, but I assure you will be crystal clear at the end of this chapter or the next.**

 **Good luck and hopefully chat on Tuesday. If not - chat Friday.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Eleven**

"You want _me_ to marry you?" Regina muttered.

She rubbed her eyes and flung the tears to the floor before looking at him with desperate eyes; then he nodded.

"I'd want you to marry me in any world," he said as he took the ring out of the box and into his hand, "Why are you crying?"

"I never thought I'd have this, well, us," she sniffled and smiled before embracing him in a hug and whispering in his ear, "Yes, I will marry you, Robin."

He let their gazes meet before hers fell down to his lips, and their then their lips collided into what seemed like a time-ending kiss. She fought hard to ever let go of his body, to ever split their lips apart from their kiss. She fought hard to take in everything that the kiss was offering her: the passion, the desire, the hope, and the little hint of risk.

Robin broke their kiss first before staring at her and letting out a low laugh. He took her hand in his and slid the diamond onto her finger; it fit perfectly.

Regina's mouth dropped when she saw the sparkling jewel on her finger, "It's beautiful."

"You look radiant, my love." He said before stealing another kiss and taking her to stand with him. He led her to his room, where they changed and got ready for bed.

The next hour consisted of them laying on the bed, relaxing, listening to each other breathe. When they finally clasped each other in a warm, slow and luxurious hug, they felt all oppositions to their love had melted. His chests rising and falling against her back, their breaths in unison, and the warm blood that they could feel in each other's' embrace.

Regina soon fell asleep and Robin couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was now his.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

He heard a knock on his office door.

In surprise, he rose his head and held the phone between his ear and his shoulder, "Can you please hold sir? Thank you."

He hung up the phone and yelled, "Come in!" To that, the door opened, and he saw Snow, who was smiling overly big this morning. He didn't know what to say; she was just standing there.

"Hello, Robin."

"Good morning."

"There was an anonymous message left for you." she said, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. He immediately walked around his desk and to her, grabbing the paper from her hands.

It read:

 _After work 8pm, file closet. I'm sure you know where that is._

"What the hell does this mean-" he said as he spun around and Snow was no longer there. His door was already shut and it was only him in the room. He looked around the room and shoved the paper in his pocket, returning to his desk to finish his call.

* * *

"Regina?"

Regina heard a woman's voice from her doorway. She looked up and smiled at Snow, who was waving.

"Snow! How are you?"

"Fine. I have a message for you."

Regina stood up from her desk and waited for Snow to finish.

"It's from a mysterious business partner." Snow said as she handed Regina a piece of paper that said:

 _7pm at the file closet. No excuses._

Her mouth dropped as she read the paper. She cleared her throat and looked back up at Snow, who asked if everything was alright. Regina just nodded and watched as Snow walked out and shut the door behind her.

* * *

"This is the weirdest meeting place yet." She said to herself as she walked down the hallway and to the closet. No one was outside the door standing there like she expected them to be. She looked around and then knocked on the door to the file closet.

 _Knocking on a closet door, are we Regina?_

She rolled her eyes and pushed the door open. She stepped inside and looked around, but no sign of anyone. She placed down her bag and walked further inside. Suddenly, she heard a door slam shut and a lock behind her. She turned her head and saw the door to the closet was shut. Regina ran to it and banged on it hardly.

 _No use._

"Hello!" she yelled. It was no use. She looked at her bag and scrambled through it to find her phone to call Robin. No service.

 _Fantastic._

She whined a little and sat on the floor against the wall, waiting.

* * *

"Thank you sir, have a great night." Robin said before he let out a big sigh. It was almost 8. Robin cleaned his desk area and packed his briefcase. He shut his office lights off and locked the door, making his way to the file closet. As he walked down the hallway, he checked the offices he was passing. He continued his journey to the file closet. And then he smelt smoke.

* * *

"What is that?" Regina stood from the floor and backed up against the door. She smelt smoke. The back corner of the closet was lit with flames.

"Help! Please! Someone!" She yelled as she banged against the door. The fire was spreading, and it was spreading fast. She kept banging and screaming until she heard someone on the other side.

"Regina? What the hell!" she heard a man's voice. She yelled back and tried to open the door. The flames were getting closer, but the door wouldn't budge. She started to cry, and soon the smoke that was filling her lungs made her cough.

"Back away from the door!" she heard the voice say. She didn't reply, because she physically couldn't. She scooted away from the door and sat beside her bag and jacket with her knees against her head. She tucked her head down and coughed into her legs. The flames were bigger and closer, and all she could see was a shadowy figure who picked her up and carried her out.

* * *

"So, tell me your story again." Another officer said.

"I was walking down the hallway and I smelt smoke, so I ran towards it and then I heard screaming, and-" Robin said in panic.

"You ran towards the smoke? Why?"

He shrugged, "I'm a good man? All I know is that if I didn't run towards that damn smoke, my fiancé wouldn't be alive right now, so I'm pretty damn happy I ran toward it."

"And how did you get her out?" He said as he scribbled on a notepad.

"I kicked down the door."

The officer left Robin. Robin continued to cough, but not as badly as Regina. He looked at her. She was sitting on the back of the ambulance. There were about four or five people trying to help her. She was coughing and had a mild burn on her arm. He instantly felt ashamed. If only he heard her sooner, this wouldn't of happened.

 _Gold? Cora?_

He ran over to her after he saw the people leave. She flinched at his touch at first. She was scared.

"Regina, I'm so sorry."

"I was so scared, Robin." she said as her voice quavered. She shivered under the blanket the paramedics gave her. He sat next to her and put his hand on her thigh.

"From this point on, neither Gold or Cora get anywhere near you."

"Robin, I know you're trying to protect me from this, but you don't get it. They're just like Daniel. They always get their way and when they don't, someone gets hurt. You can't be that person." She let a tear escape her eye as she stood and ran, around the building and to the lake behind it. He followed her and called her name, but then stopped halfway. She needed some time alone.

Robin paced back and forth for ten minutes until he couldn't take it anymore. He rushed to the back of the building and saw Regina curled up, lying down in front of the lake. He cocked his head to the side and let out a deep, but quiet, sigh before slowly approaching her and sitting beside her body. He let his hand reach for her, her body quickly absorbing the warmth of his hand. She flinched at his touch and quickly sat up, her head turning and her eyebrow raising all in one action. Her mouth dropped as she let out a relieved sigh, before she looked up to him with worried eyes and then turned away, for she could not bear looking at him any longer.

"I'm sorry, Robin."

He scooted closer to her so he could put his arm around her freezing body, "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"You always say that, you know?" She laughed and shook her head, "I have a lot to be sorry about, Robin. Gold, Cora, them screwing up your office building. I can't believe they went as far as to burn down the damn building."

"It's not your fault, love," he said as he kissed her temple.

She sighed and shook him off of her, "But it is, it's all because of me. Because of some stupid mistakes I made in the past - that's why they're after me."

He began to speak but she cut him off, "And of course I'm scared, worried, freaked out even, but I mostly all those things for you. I'm scared that if I do so much as ask them why they're even doing this, they'll come take you away from me in ways I couldn't imagine. I'm worried that if I step foot in any of their 'areas', they'll come after you, because they know that's the biggest way to hurt me. I'm freaked out that if I even try to protect you, or myself, they'll be three steps ahead of me and get under my skin. I just don't know what to do, Robin. I can't possibly begin to think of ways I can solve this, when I'm so blinded by the love I have for you."

"You don't need to worry about me," he said as he pulled her back into his embrace, making their gazes meet as he spoke, "All I care about is that you're safe."

There was a long pause before either of them spoke again.

She stared at the ring on her finger and spoke, "I understand if you don't want to be tied up in all of this with me. If you want the ring back, I totally understand why-"

He turned his entire body to her and took her hands in his, "Regina Mills, look at me when I say this. I want you. I love you. I want to marry you. I don't care about the struggles you've faced in the past or the ghosts you want to stay hidden; I don't care if you've stolen from the Queen of England or killed someone; you are everything I want in a wife. With that ring and my proposal, I promised not only myself, but you, that I would protect, nourish, worship, fight for, and love you - no matter what."

Her eyes were wet and all she could do was smile and lean into his embrace again, "You really mean that, don't you?"

"With all my heart." He said before kissing her forehead.

Then it was quiet.

It was quiet for a while.

The sun went down and they were left in the darkness.

Then they went home.

* * *

" _Regina Mills is just another piece in your round of gameplay, Robin. Stop caring so much." Cora shrugged._

 _Robin struggled to get free of the ropes that held him to the old wooden chair. He was in the corner of the room, where there was no light and no heat. All he could see was the darkened figure of a woman and all he could hear was Cora's wretched voice echoing through the empty room._

" _She isn't a toy!"_

" _She was for a while though, wasn't she?" Cora teased._

 _Robin shook his head and groaned as he pulled his arm but wasn't lucky enough to break free of the ropes, "She was never a game to me, Cora. I'm not sure what you're trying to get at, but Regina was always true for me."_

 _She let out a wicked snicker, "According to the information my trusty employees have retrieved for me, you have quite the record of your high temper, huh?"_

 _He remained silent._

" _You attacked a man on the streets, bruised a woman so badly that she could no longer walk, threw glass bottles against someone's head in a bar and were arrested for it, and you have a long list of names of all the women you've dated, had sex with, punished, or-"_

" _That's enough, Cora." Robin mumbled, "All of that is no good shit. The man I 'attacked' was someone who stole an old lady's purse; the woman who was bruised so badly that she could no longer walk - she was drunk one night leaving my apartment and fell down the stairs, but no one could prove that; that damn bar thing - yeah, that's true, but they were threatening my business and I was drunk; and all those women - they are nothing compared to Regina. I love her."_

 _Cora laughed and flicked the lights on, "Shut up. Love is weakness, especially when it comes to my daughter."_

 _He shut his eyes when the lights came on; he didn't want to see where he was or what she was about to do with him._

" _Maybe I should kidnap her instead, it would be much more fun than you are-"_

" _Don't you dare lay a hand on her." He said, opening his eyes and growling._

 _She took out a pocket knife and skimmed the edge of it with her fingers, "That would be fun as hell-_

" _What did she ever do to you that made you this evil?"_

 _Cora opened her mouth to speak and then stopped, giving him a smirk and then walking away._

"Robin, wake up!" Regina shook his body until he sat up. He was dripping in sweat and felt like a sauna.

He shook his head and turned to her, "What the hell just happened?"

"You tell me; you're the one sweating." Regina stood from the bed and ran to the bathroom, coming back with a cold washcloth and holding it to his head, "What were you dreaming of?"

"It was a nightmare, I think." He said, covering her hand with his and shrugging, "Lots of pain."

She nodded and looked at the alarm clock, which read 2:45AM. With a sigh, she looked back over to him and let out a small smile, "You should get some sleep, I'll be right here."

His breaths started to calm as he closed his eyes and wrapped his arm around Regina, before they both fell back asleep and neither of them had any nightmares.

* * *

 **A/N: Review, please. Aching for your thoughts.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello, everyone! It's been too long since a new chapter update, so in effect of that, I have made this chapter 10,000 words! It took me a lot of time to figure out what ideas I wanted to send and portray in this chapter, and I wanted to do it in a way that wouldn't be rushed. So, in spite of lack of my updating, this one is a super long one.**

 **However, my showcase is coming up and now we have to stay after everyday for long hours. It's getting to a point where I don't even have time to do my actual homework. I promise, though, I will try to keep up with you guys, if you're all still willing to read more?**

 **If you could spare a couple seconds of your time and tell me what you think of the storyline, if I should keep going or what, please do. I enjoy reading your comments and really also want your criticism.**

 **Without further ado, enjoy this chapter because I may or may not update on Tuesday.**

 **Kisses to you all.**

* * *

Robin woke first, getting out of bed ever so quietly and not waking Regina. He went to shower, which lasted a good hour and consisted of him staring at the glass and letting the hot water scorch his skin. He couldn't really think clearly after the realistic nightmare he had the night before. With a long sigh, he got out of the shower, because the water was cold now, and wrapped a towel around his body. He trudged to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror, staring and then shaking his head.

He couldn't even look at himself. That nightmare had brought everything in his past back to him. It's caught up to him. Everything that he had changed from had found its way back into his life and is ready ammunition for Cora. She knows everything.

"She has to know everything." He said to himself as he shook his head once more and went into his room to get dressed. Regina was still sleeping, shockingly enough, and she hadn't moved an inch from where he had left her. With a smile, he snuck into the closet and quickly threw some clothes on before sneaking out of the room once more and going into the kitchen. Robin poured himself some coffee and poured some for Regina before he slowly came back into his room and sat next to her on the bed.

He played with her hair as she hummed and then he spoke, "Regina, love, wake up. It's already noon."

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled, "How are you doing?"

As he brought the coffee to her, he spoke, "Better than I was. Still a little shaken up, but I'll get over it."

"What was the nightmare about?" She said as she took the coffee in her hands and sipped it.

He shrugged, "Something that happened in my past."

Regina stared at him, "And you don't want to talk about it?"

He looked up to her, noticing her stern stare and her widened eyes that were waiting for an answer, then shook his head, "Not really, no."

She took offense at first that he didn't want to share his troubles with her, and then took a breath and continued the conversation, "Well, I'm here if you ever want to talk about it."

"Thank you," he said, "Now, why don't you get ready and we can go out for awhile, maybe get both of our minds off of you know who."

She nodded and kissed his lips quickly before placing her coffee on the bedside table and standing, turning her head and looking at him one last time before she left the room completely. He shut his eyes as he felt his past rushing to him internally - nothing he _wanted_ Regina to know. All of those incidents - they would be the things to drive her away. She wouldn't care that he had changed anymore once she heard what he had done.

Or would she?

His thoughts were interrupted as Regina appeared in the doorway in nothing but a towel. She raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, "What should I be wearing for these mysterious plans?"

He froze at the image in front of him and could barely spit out any words, "Anything you'd like."

She shrugged and walked toward the closet, her hips swaying in that same sexy motion they always did, except now the movements were more prominent since there wasn't any clothing piled on top of her skin. He watched her every step and felt a drop in his heart as she stepped out of his vision and into the closet, quickly coming back and kicking the door shut with her foot. She came next to him and laid the dress she picked out on the bed; it was a small black dress, the kind that every woman owned, short, simple, and strapless, with a straight neckline.

"Is this alright?" She said, sitting on his lap.

He nodded, "Anything you wear is better than alright."

She let her arms wrap around his body and laughed when she realized that her legs were still wet, so his pants were now getting soaked. He looked down and noticed before starting to laugh with her.

"Now I'm going to have to change," he said as she stood up with her.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, "Maybe that was the plan?"

He stared at her and noticed the sparkle in her eyes evolve into desire. She bit her lip and found the place that her towel was tucked in before slipping her fingers into it and grinding on him. Her free hand found the collar of his shirt and pulled his body closer to her as she inhaled against his neck and let out a warm, shallow breath. Robin looked down at her, brown met blue, and then everything was forgotten. His hands caressed her cheeks and pulled her into a demanding and much-needed kiss that they both had been yearning for. He sucked them with passion and bit them occasionally to keep things interesting. In a few seconds, he stopped and pushed her onto the bed, taking her hand away from the towel and allowing himself to do the honors of stripping the towel away from her still wet body and throwing it on the floor. With a growl, Robin climbed on top of her as she unfastened each button of his shirt from top to bottom, not breaking eye contact for a second. Each of them, demanding and needy as ever, started to grind against the other's body. Regina soon had Robin's shirt in her hand before she threw it across the room and then found her way to his belt, which was off in a matter of seconds. He began to suck her neck in that same spot she always loved - the soft spot that made her go wild. When his lips hit the tender skin, her eyes grew wide and she moaned into his ear. In the next seconds, her hands were in his pants, her hair a wet mess of it's own, her back arched, and her entire body aching for him to complete her need. When he realized her deep desire, he stood and kicked his pants off along with his boxers and let her take over. She began to rub him in all sorts of possible way before her lips found the tip of his tool and began to work - oh, almighty. He groaned before pulling her up to him and taking claim of her lips again. Then, she broke the kiss and whispered, "I need you, Robin."

"What do you need, Regina?" He said.

She looked up at him and breathed heavily, "I need you inside me."

At her last words, he slid into her, allowing a loud moan out of her, and then started to thrust slowly and steadily. She demanded a faster speed, to which he much obliged to. Regina's hands found his back as she sunk her fingernails into his skin; she was almost there and he knew that.

"Robin-"

"I know."

In a matter of seconds, he collapsed on top of her, their breaths aligning in their fast speeds. She laughed and looked at him, "Who needs breakfast after that wake up?"

With another laugh, he brushed her hair to the side of her face and pulled her in for a calm and lighter kiss. It was one of the kinds that made everything they had been through seem worth it. She froze in front of him after the kiss and looked into his eyes - she saw happiness, love, joy, and then she saw worry.

"What's wrong?" She said.

He shifted his body so that he could lean on his arm, "Nothing's wrong. Why would something be wrong?"

"I've seen that look before, Robin." She said, "That look like there's nothing else worth fighting for. I've seen it on you and I've seen it on myself. What's up? Talk to me."

"I'm not sure this is something that I can talk about." He sighed and looked down instead of looking at her.

She reached for his hand and interlocked their fingers, "Hey, look at me."

He did.

"You can tell me anything," she said, "I've been through hell and back. I've been to the worst places and have done unimaginable things. I just need to know you're not hurting yourself or anyone else."

"It's more like the other way around." He said.

She raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Let's get dressed, I'll explain it over breakfast at the cafe." He said before tanning and going to the closet, grabbing himself a new set of clothes and getting dressed. She stood and got into her dress, before going into the bathroom and applying a light layer of makeup and fluffing her hair. Then, she met Robin in the living room and they got into the car, to drive to the cafe.

* * *

They sat in the corner booth and sipped their coffee in silence until she finally spoke up, "Alright, let me hear it. What's actually going on?"

He sighed, "I think that something bad is going to happen."

"What else could happen that's worse than almost burning to death or crashing on the highway?" She said.

"Remember that nightmare I had?" He said as he leaned into her space.

She nodded, "The one you didn't tell me about, last night's?"

He nodded also, "It wasn't about me."

"It was about me."

"Yeah. I was locked away somewhere and Cora was there. She was all up in my business, and she knew every bad decision I've ever made, all of my darkest secrets," he said, "And then she was talking about you and how she was going to come for you and I couldn't do anything about it because I was hidden and tied up somewhere. I couldn't get out or even try to fight for you, I was completely cut off-"

"Robin," she said as she grabbed his arm and stopped him from talking, "Cora is a manipulator. Don't let her mess with your head."

"What if it was a warning? What if she is coming and we aren't prepared for her? I can't lose you, Regina-"

"And you won't," she said, "The best thing we can do is pretend everything is fine. That way, she won't suspect anything and we won't be portraying ourselves as weak."

He looked at her with almost wet eyes, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Well, then let's make sure that you never find out." She said as she caressed his cheek and pulled him in for a quick kiss. He smiled at her, but inside he knew that he was still scared and still broken, and there was no way that he was going to fake anything. He was going to be ready for Cora, now and forever. No one was going to take Regina away from him.

He loved her too much.

* * *

 _Later that day…_

The phone rang.

"Hello?"

 **Mr. Locksley?**

"Uh, no. This is his fiancé, Regina Mills. He's actually asleep upstairs, how can I help you?"

 **There is a package up front at the gate for him. Would you mind picking it up? It says fragile so I didn't want to run it over.**

"Of course, I'll be right down."

She hung up the phone and grabbed her purse before heading out of the house and walking down the path to the front gate. When she arrived, she greeted John and asked him about the package. He handed her a big box and let her go on her way.

On her way back, she noticed a small note on the bottom of the box, with handwriting all too familiar. She dropped the box on the ground, before following it and dropping to the ground herself, ripping the note off the bottom of it and opening it to read.

It stated:

 _Robin Locksley and Regina Mills,_

 _After hearing about the terrible things that have been happening to you, by whom we do not know, it is our honor to invite you to the gala we're hosting tonight at the Apple Bar and Grille. Dress up, it'll be an interesting night._

 _We do advise you to show up, for there will be things you will not want to miss there._

 _Do not take this note as a warning or something to scare you off. This is just a friendly gathering and we figured you both would enjoy a night out after all that you have been through._

 _Regina, this is a little something for you. And Robin - wear something blue; it's a nice color on you._

 _With hope of your presence,_

 _Cora and Gold_

She read the note over three times.

She let out an angry sigh and picked up the package, before ripping it open and taking out the jaw dropping blue gown that was inside. Regina laid it out on her lap and her mouth dropped at its beauty. She had never seen something so beautiful. It was a satiny material with jewels aligning the bottom edges of the dress. It was one that would hang off the shoulders and it had long sleeves, that had the same jewels on the edges. She quickly put it back in the box and wrapped it carefully before running back into the house and calling for Robin.

He came down the stairs and rubbed his eyes, "What's so important that you had to wake me?"

"Get over here," she said as she rushed into the kitchen and placed the box on the dining table.

He came through the doorway and went over to her, "What's that?"

"Read this." She handed him the note and waited for him to finish reading.

He looked up to her, "What the hell is this supposed to mean? And what's in the box?"

Regina turned and pulled the dress out of the box, "This."

"That's beautiful. They gave this to you?"

She nodded.

"And you want to go?" He asked

She shrugged, "I'm not sure _want_ is the right word. I know that it can lead to something terrible, but what about the possibility of it leading to something like resolution or finally ending this 'war'?"

"I guess you're right, but I'm not sure I'm willing to risk it, or you," he said.

"We'll just have to stick together then, Robin," she said as she folded the dress up nicely and came over to him, "Are we doing this?"

He stared at her for a few minutes. This was it. This was the decision that could make or break him as a man, that could take her away for good, that could possibly let out all of secrets. Internally, he said no, but externally, his mouth said, "Sure."

And that was the moment he knew he made the wrong decision.

* * *

 _Hours later…_

Regina was in the bathroom doing her makeup. She was applying a dark blue eyeshadow and then she added a dark, almost plum colored, lipstick to her lips. She curled her hair in loose curls, letting them all fall to one side of her body and pinning them. She then made her way to the guest room, where she found her gown and stared at it with an uneasy heart. Then she sighed and put it on.

When she was dressed, she slipped on silver heels and then came into Robin's room to stand in front of the mirror. Her mouth dropped at the sight of her in the dress, "It's beautiful."

"Indeed it is." Robin said, coming from the bathroom.

"You decided to wear blue." Regina said.

He nodded, "Cora's requests shouldn't be ignored."

"Right." She turned and put on some silver earrings that dangled low enough to touch her collarbone. Then she spritzed her body with perfume and grabbed her phone to put in her handbag. She went over to Robin and helped him with his tie before stealing a kiss from him and saying, "Don't worry, we're in this together."

He nodded, "Don't leave me tonight."

And with that, they made their way out of the house and into the limo that Robin ordered for them earlier.

* * *

They arrived to the gala a few minutes late. It apparently was a big event, there were paparazzi everywhere and a big red carpet to walk down. Robin got out first and took Regina's hand in his before they threw on fake smiles and made their way down the red carpet.

"Robin, do you have any idea who would burn down your building?"

"Do you think Regina planned it all for attention?"

"Was the car crash something to get public attention?"

"Regina, is Robin just another phase?"

"Are you two going to break up a week before the wedding?"

"Who is the one responsible for Marian leaving?"

"Regina, is it true you slept with Gold?"

Robin shooed them all away as he pulled Regina inside the building, "I'm sorry, love. I'm not sure what that was all about."

"Miss Mills, Robin, so nice of you to join us tonight."

"Gold, good evening." Regina said as he rip tightened around Robin's arm.

Gold eyed her down and then scanned her body with his eyes before stopping at her lips and raising an eyebrow, "You look amazing, Regina."

"Thank you-"

"That dress looks amazing on you," he continued, "I chose right."

She let go of Robin's arm and stepped forward a little, " _You_ picked this dress out?"

"And apparently I have great taste," he smirked, "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Robin grew slightly furious as Gold left them and Regina held him still, "Robin, it isn't worth it."

He nodded and looked at her before taking her hand in his and then walking into the ballroom, which was filled with many people. Robin led her to the bar section and bought them both a shot of Tequila before Regina began to look around for Cora.

"Are you sure you want to go alone?"

"Robin, I can handle myself. It's a public event, anyways. Nothing can happen." She said.

He reluctantly let go of her hand before she vanished into the crowd of people and was no longer able to be seen by Robin.

It had been over forty five minutes and Regina still hadn't returned from her search for Cora. Robin grew worried and began to search the crowd for Regina himself. He pushed threw people like they weren't some of the highest level people in town. He didn't really care what anyone thought of him anymore - all that mattered was Regina.

He saw the back of a woman, who was wearing a dark blue gown, one that looked exactly like Regina's. Robin ran to her and spun her around, his mouth dropping and his eyes widening in the process.

"Robin, dear. Are you alright?" Cora stared at the worried man and raised an eyebrow.

Robin pulled her away from the crowd and over to the stairway where it was quiet, "Where is she?"

"Where is who?" She said as she turned her head over her shoulder and waved to whoever.

Robin grabbed her wrist, "You know exactly who I'm talking about, Cora. I don't want to play this game with you."

"Games are much more fun though-"

"Where is she?"

Cora looked at him and smirked, "I have no idea."

Robin let go of her wrist and pushed her back against the wall. His hand was next to her head and she could practically feel his breath on her skin, "I'll give you one last chance. Where is Regina?"

"I don't know, Robin."

"She was looking for you-"

"The blue tux is a nice touch," she said as she patted his chest with her hand and then kissed him on the cheek before whispering in his ear, "Happy hunting."

She slid past him and vanished into the crowd as he ran up the stairs and began to pace the hallway. It was quiet up there, away from all of the people. Robin leaned against the wall and let out a sigh before taking out his phone and dialing Regina's number.

"Pick up the damn phone, Regina." He muttered to himself.

 **Hello?**

"Thank you for answering. I was so worried," he said, "Where are you?"

 **Looking for you. Have been for the past half hour.**

"Let's meet in the lobby in five minutes?"

 **Of course. See you then.**

Robin hung up the phone as a wave of relief came over him. She was fine. She wasn't hurt.

He ran down the stairs and made his way into the crowd.

* * *

She stood in the middle of the lobby, waiting for him. It had already been five minutes. Regina looked down at her phone and walked over to an armchair to sit down in. She turned as she heard footsteps behind her.

"What do you want?"

"Why are you out here all alone? Why aren't you inside getting drunk?" Gold said as he sat down beside her.

She raised an eyebrow, "It's not a good idea to get drunk at an event you're attending."

"No need to be rude," he said, "Where's your boy?"

"My _boy_ is on his way now," she said as she crossed her arms, "In fact, he'll be here any second."

Gold leaned towards her, "Why are you so sure of that?"

"Why are you so close to me?" She spit out.

He laughed and stood up, coming in front of her and holding out his hand, "Dance with me."

"What? No."

"Just one dance, like old times. We'll pass Locksley on the way into the ballroom and you can tell him yourself." Gold said.

She cocked her head to the side and reluctantly answered back, "I guess there's no harm in one dance, in the middle of a crowd."

"That's the way to think," Gold said as he grabbed her hand and led her into the ballroom.

Her phone was left on the armchair.

Gold and Regina made their way to the center of the dance floor. He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder and his other hand found the small of her back, which quickly pulled her body closer to his so that their faces were inches away. He looked down at her lips and then up at her eyes, which were scanning him with suspicion.

"Geez, no need to interrogate me with your eyes," Gold said, "We're just dancing."

Then his hand lowered a little so that it was lying on the edge of her waist, just above where the dress tightened around her butt and let out down to the floor. She noticed but didn't say anything, that was, until he tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her even closer to him.

"Gold-"

"Shh…" he said as with one more tug, their bodies were connected, "Let's not make a scene."

She tried to push away from him but his grip was all too tight and she couldn't escape from his hold, "I think our dance should be over."

"The song isn't even over yet, dearie."

* * *

He came into the lobby and searched for her. There was no one there at all.

"Regina?"

Then he heard a buzz. He went over to the armchair and saw a much familiar phone buzzing like crazy. He looked at the screen, which was covered in text messages from Leroy.

 _It's a bad idea, Regina._

 _Don't stay there too long._

 _You'll get your ass kicked._

 _The plan is a no go._

 _Don't do anything._

All of which were topped off by the most recent message that said:

 _She's coming for you._

Robin's mouth dropped as he put the phone in his pocket and ran back into the ballroom, searching yet again for his queen.

* * *

"Alright, I do have to admit, you're quite the dancer." Gold said as the song came to an end and they bowed to each other.

"I should really be getting back to Robin," she said.

He grabbed her hand, "How about a drink first?"

She gave him a look.

"You can order it yourself, I'll just pay." He said.

She nodded, once again reluctantly, and let him lead her to the bar where she ordered another shot of tequila.

"Didn't realize you liked the hard stuff."

"I thought you knew everything about me." She said.

He shrugged, "Everything but that."

She placed the empty shot glass on the counter and ordered another one, which came soon and she chugged it down like nobody's business.

"Don't you want to calm down a little? We both know what happened last time you got too drunk-"

"Let's not bring that up, okay?" She said, "And besides, we're just two friends having fun."

 _Friends, right_.

He nodded and let her get another one before paying and letting her gulp it down.

"That's four." She said with a big smile.

"I think you're drunk."

"I think you're right." She laughed.

He grabbed her hand again and pulled her away from the bar, which made her pout and try to pull back. Gold didn't let go of her hand until he saw Robin in the corner of his eye, frantic as ever. At that moment, he let go and grabbed her wrist, pulling her through the crowd and up the stairs, where Robin had been earlier.

"What was that for? And why are we up here?" She said as she turned around and made eye contact with Robin, who was standing downstairs in the middle of the dance floor with wide eyes.

Gold pushed her down the hallway, "I'm sorry, Regina. I really am, but-"

"Thank you, that is all, Gold." Cora came from the last room and pulled Regina out of Gold's grasp.

"Cora, I really think we should reconsider our plan-"

"And I think you should get down there and finish the next phase." She demanded with a stern tone.

He gulped and watched as she took Regina into the room and kicked the door behind her. He stood alone in the hallway now, but soon ran to the stairs in hopes of bumping into Robin.

And he did.

"What the hell is going on here, Gold? Where did you take her? What are you going to do to her?"

"I'm afraid all of those questions cannot be answered by me." He said as he pushed Robin back into the ballroom, "You can't go up there."

Robin stopped in his tracks, "Why not? Because Regina is up there?"

"You just can't."

"Gold, I swear. If I have to beat you up in order to get past you then I will, but under no circumstances will you or Cora hurt Regina." Robin said as he held up his fists.

Gold looked to the ground and shook his head, "You're probably already too late, lad."

Robin ran toward him and threw him to the ground, punching him over and over and over again. People crowded around them, but Gold never fought back. He let Robin hit him as many times as he wanted to until he just lay there.

"Get up and fight!" Robin said.

"Save your swings for Cora and her men," he coughed, "I'm not the bad guy here."

"Screw you."

Robin stood up and ran into the crowd, coming out and going up the stairs. He went down the hallway and knocked on all of the doors, the last one was locked.

"Cora, open this damn door!"

He banged it until it burst open and the room was dark. No one was in it, it was quiet. The window was wide open. He ran to it and stuck his head outside, noticing the limo that was driving away already.

Then he ran back downstairs and grabbed a taxi.

He was headed for Regina's house.

* * *

"Station all of your men on the doors, no one gets in, no one gets out," Cora said, "Be sure to fight for it."

The guards manned their stations as she yelled for her assistant, "Grab her and get her into the basement. You know what to do from there."

* * *

Robin ran around the house. He saw a piece of paper lying on Regina's bed. He grabbed the paper and opened it.

It read:

 _Well, well, well, I figured you would be the one to find this. In order to find my daughter, you will need to follow the steps on this paper and then go to the address that you will find at the office building. But I warn you, things are happening, so I think you best hurry._

Robin ran to his car and made his way to the office again.

* * *

"Stop this madness, mother!" Regina screamed.

"Shut her up." Cora demanded to some guy who was masked.

The man grabbed a cloth and tied it around Regina's mouth.

"Ah, yes, now. Regina, darling, will you talk now, or do I have to put more into jeopardy?"

Regina groaned angrily.

"Okay, now am I going to put your fiancé in danger or are you going to talk?"

Regina said something against the cloth in her mouth.

"Huh? Untie it for a second."

The man did what he was told and untied the cloth around Regina's mouth.

"Fine, I'll talk, just don't hurt him!"

"So what's the code for the bank of the entire business?" Cora demanded.

"Are you kidding me," Regina struggled to break free from the ties around her wrists and ankles,

"Why didn't you ask Gold?"

"We've had a little disagreement, that's why I have you." Cora snapped backed. Regina screamed, struggling to get free, but it was no use.

"What is it?" Cora asked again.

"I am not telling you what it is!" Regina screamed as she turned her head the other way.

"Well, if you don't-" Cora said, holding a picture up of Robin, "Yes, look who we have here."

"It would be so sad to see such a handsome thing get hurt." Cora said.

"You wouldn't dare." Regina screamed, tears forming in her eyes.

"You know I would. What's the damn code?" she demanded.

"03-12-08." Regina looked up.

"The date I left you? How creative." Cora laughed.

Cora grabbed her purse and headed out. The man tied Regina's mouth again and laughed wickedly. He grabbed his jacket and followed Cora to the car, locking the door to the building behind him.

* * *

Robin ran into Regina's office and saw a note and key lying on top of it.

 _My handsome Robin, you have come so far! Hopefully, by the time you get to the place, Regina is still alive, but no promises! We, by now, probably already have what we need and are halfway to the airport. The address is 111 Wakini Boulevard. Hope you get there in time._

 _With the most love,_

 _Cora and her helper_

"Wakini Boulevard? I know where that is, but it's pretty far." Robin said to himself.

Robin ran back to the car, desperate to make it to Regina in time.

He drove for almost 25 minutes before arriving at 111 Wakini Boulevard. The building was a tall, dark, office-like one. It was painted a dark brown, and the windows were patched up. It had one shattered window, and looked very old. Robin got out of the car. He pulled the key out of his pocket and slowly approached the door. His hand shaking, he put the key in the hole and turned it, hearing a click. He slightly pushed on the door. It creaked open. Inside, revealed two rooms, on the left and right, and a staircase in the middle. After going up the stairs, there were four rooms and a door to the attic. He had no luck in the first, second, or third. Robin opened the door to the fourth and saw Regina in the back corner, tied in her chair. She had a red mark on her cheek and she had no energy. Robin ran to Regina and started to untie her mouth, then her wrists, then her ankles. He saw the marks that each cloth and rope left on Regina, deep in her skin. He saw a cut on Regina's cheek, and he saw a bruise on her leg. Regina could hardly lift up her head, and she wasn't breathing regularly. She couldn't fully open her eyes, and she felt as all her energy was taken from her.

"Regina, what did they do to you?" Robin said.

"Robin. They went to take the money at the office." Regina said, with a little amount of energy she had left.

"I don't care, I need to help you." Robin smiled, holding Regina's hand.

Robin tried to help her up, but Regina groaned in pain, and Robin saw more bruises on her arms. Robin ran to the bathroom and brought back a wet cloth to fix Regina's face. He quickly walked over to Regina and put the cloth on her cheek, beginning to rub it softly.

"I need you to tell me you're okay." Robin said, holding Regina's cheek with the cloth.

"Regina, please." Robin put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm okay, I will be anyway." Regina said.

He pulled Regina up into his embrace, slowly, but easily, and held her tight. She cried into his chest as she hugged him back. He kissed her head and said, "Everything will be alright, it will all be okay."

"I hope so. I really do." Regina said, crying.

He helped her to the car and began to drive to his house. Robin drove slowly down the streets and kept checking on Regina in the passenger seat next to him. After everything she had told him about her mother, he never thought she would go to these types of extreme measures.

"Robin, go to the office." Regina said faintly. Robin pulled over and looked at her like she was crazy.

"Regina, you are hurt and you aren't strong en-"

"Go to the office. She can't take that money."

"I think it best you don't go there-"

"Robin, I can't let her take it."

"Regina, you're not thinking right-"

Regina unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. Snow was falling from the sky and it was cold outside.

"Regina, okay, I'll take you, just get out of the cold weather."

She stayed silent and got back into the car. A few moments of silence passed as they continued to drive before Robin spoke, "You're crazy."

A small smiled formed on her face before she leaned her head towards the window and watched the snow fall.

After around fifteen minutes, they arrived to the office. It was surrounded by cop cars, which thousands of officers were hiding behind with guns. Regina stood out of the car and ran towards the cars without shutting her door.

"What the hell is happening here?" she exclaimed, holding her arms tightly since it was cold and the pain from her slaps was still stinging. The officer turned around with the gun to her shoulder and immediately asked who she was and what business she had doing in the office building. Robin ran to him and pulled him off of her, soon pulling her behind himself.

"We work here, I'm the CEO of this building, Robin Locksley." he said, pulling out one of his cards from his wallet.

"And who's the lady?" the officer said.

Before Robin could speak, a hand was placed on Regina's shoulder, causing her to flinch and fall towards Robin. She spun around and her mouth dropped. Arms wrapped around her body as she shockingly fell into the embrace of her ex-boyfriend Graham, the town sheriff.

"Their clear, Hughes, leave 'em be." Graham said. Robin spun around and met the eyes of Graham, his mouth dropping as well. Regina was still hugging him, not caring that it was her ex-boyfriend.

"Robin Locksley," Robin stuck his hand out, "Regina's fiancé."

Graham's hand met his as Regina moved awkwardly from his embrace and he said, "Graham Humbert, Regina's ex-boyfriend."

Awkwardness filled the air before Regina spoke close to Graham's ear, "I need your help."

"Why, what is it? I can do anything for a gorgeous woman." Graham replied, only ticking off Robin even more than he already was. Regina whispered something into Graham's ear and Graham whispered back after some pointing. Regina nodded and Graham winked at her before she grabbed Robin's hand and ran for the back entrance to the building.

"What was that all about?" Robin asked.

"A long story for another time, nothing to worry about, now come on." she said, running towards the doors. They ran up the escape stairs, almost ten flights before Regina came to a sudden stop. Her hands rested on her waist and she breathed heavily.

"You alright?" Robin asked.

She leaned against the wall and breathed heavily again, letting out a sigh and then looking up to him, "I'm fine, just a little pain and cramps from my mother."

Robin didn't know what to say, so he just grabbed her hand and kissed her temple, soon pulling her up the next ten flights of stairs with him.

They finally made it to the 21st floor, where both of their offices and the safe was located. Regina whispered to Robin telling him to stay behind her. She insisted that he did, because she knew what could happen, and if anything did happen, she wanted it to happen to herself and not to him. He did as he was told and followed her through the dark hallways.

Regina heard voices and came to a sudden stop. They leaned against the wall and listened to the voices.

"Why the hell would you call the damn cops, Gold?" Cora yelled.

"I had no choice, you've gone too far." he replied.

"Well, you're out of luck. My stupid excuse for a daughter gave me the location and the code to get in. It was very simple to break her." Cora said before letting out a wicked laugh.

"You won't get away with this, Cora. You know you won't."

"Move," she said, "Now, Gold. Get out of my way."

"Or what?"

"Hold him down for me, will you?" Cora said.

The two heard Gold struggle and then a bang against the wall. They figured Cora's helper has him pinned up on the wall. They heard the beeping of the code and then the opening of the safe door.

A few moments later the conversation continued.

"I have to blast, the cops can't see me here." said Cora.

"Why not?" Gold said.

"Why, because you're the one who stole the money, and who kidnapped Regina." Cora said.

"What? They'll never believe you! You have no proof!" Gold yelled.

"I don't have any fingerprints here, my friend disabled all the security cameras, you slept with Regina and now she's with Robin, so you clearly have a motive," she said, "Oh, and, you remember that vacation home you have for your family when it's summer down on Wakini Boulevard?"

"No, you didn't." Gold said.

Regina and Robin heard a wicked laugh and then the click of Cora's heels coming towards them. They ran into the janitor closet and waited for the heels to click away, until they no longer heard them. Robin insisted that they leave so the made their way down the stairs and back out the back entrance. Robin ran to his car and helped Regina inside.

"What are we gonna do now?"

"We can't let Gold go to jail for something he didn't do."

"I can't risk you again, Regina."

"Robin-"

"He was in on it with her, Regina. One less person to worry about." Robin said.

Robin started the car and backed away out of the parking lot before coming to a stop. They stared as Graham locked handcuffs around Gold's wrists and then watched as Gold shot them a glare.

Gold yelled, "Everything comes with a price!" before Graham pushed him inside the squad car.

Robin drove down the roads as fast as he could and to his house, where he helped Regina inside and laid her down on the couch to rest.

* * *

 _Hours later…_

Robin sat beside her calm body and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. He stared at her - staring like she was the most prized thing in the world. Nothing had compared to her. She had consumed him entirely, every bit of her was a piece of him.

Not since Marian, had Robin ever felt this attached to someone. Not since Marian, had Robin felt the need to love and worship someone so greatly. And not since Marian, had Robin wanted to commit to one person.

Regina had made Robin's life complete; she had made it interesting - something that Marian couldn't do. It was something that Marian could never do; she could never provide Robin with everything Regina had provided him. It was impossible.

She stirred on the couch under his touch and hummed as he smiled at her, taking in all of her beauty. Robin grabbed the blanket that was spewed over the back of the couch and laid it acrossed her body. She responded by pulling the blanket up to her shoulders and letting one, then both, or her eyes open. With a smile, Robin brushed the little pieces of hair out of her face and palmed her cheek, "Hello."

Her eyes sparkled like the moon on a starry night, each one gazing at Robin and taking in his image, "Hi."

Robin watched as she took her arm out of the blanket - the one with the burn, which was almost completely healed, and the bruises from Cora - and let it lay on top of her body. He reached for her hand now, before bringing it up to his lips and kissing her knuckles softly, "I'm sorry."

She cocked her head to the side and then sat up, inviting him to come closer to her and wrap his arm around her body, "There's nothing to be sorry about, Robin. You tried your best-"

"And my best wasn't good enough." He said, looking down to the floor and playing with her fingers.

She caressed his cheek and turned him to face her completely, "Look, if you were trying your hardest or if you weren't even trying at all, she still would have gotten me. It was bound to happen one way or another. I can't go on thinking you blame yourself. It's Cora's fault, no one else but hers."

He nodded and looked into the eyes that were still sparkling, "I love you so much Regina. You have no idea."

Her gaze shifted to his lips and then returned to his eyes before she smiled, "I love you, too."

Then, as if nothing else mattered, they closed the space between them - something that stopped everything. It was a kiss for the ages. It was one that you'd imagine to have with your soulmate, with your true love. It was the kiss that made your stomach tena me your heart ache for more. It was the kiss that healed almost the most broken of hearts.

It was magical.

* * *

 _Three weeks later…_

Robin stared at Regina as she ate her pancakes, taking in the image of her morning beauty. She stood and cleaned up the table before finally noticing his staring, "Can I help you?"

"You're beautiful."

She blushed and elbowed him before walking to the stairs and beginning to go up them. He came from behind her and rested his hands on her waist as he bobbled on her neck. She giggled and turned her head to him, catching his lips in a kiss. He spun her around and back her up the stairs and she kept kissing him - the kisses growing hungry. When the made it up the stairs, she found herself pushed against the wall and her hands explored his hair. His hands roamed all over her body, exploring places he had not yet touched. He retreated to her neck, sucking her pulse pointed and leaving tiny bite marks under her ear. He pulled her leg up to his waist and kissed her vigorously, she pulled at his hair and sucked his lips. Her lips were already red and swollen from the tug he had on them. Every second had felt like heaven on earth. He paused and let his hot breath hit her neck, before he slowly planted kisses from her ear down to her collarbone. Then, she quietly let out a soft moan and whispered into his ear, "We have to get to work."

Robin let her leg down and slipped his hands under her t-shirt to feel her soft olive skin. He grazed her abdomen, sending shivers across her body, and then let out a slick smirk. He sighed playfully and looked at her, "But I don't want to. I want to stay here and rip your clothes off."

She pecked his lips and smiled, "Believe me, I want you to do that, too. But you have to be there, it's the first day clients can come back after the fire."

He pouted, "Save this for later then?"

"What would my night be without it?" She smirked and then claimed his lips one more time before they parted to go get dressed.

In another fifteen minutes, they met downstairs and exchanged looks before she brushed her fingers down his back, giving him goosebumps. He shivered under her touch and bit his lip before spinning her into his arms and stealing a passionate kiss from her swollen lips.

"Later will be the time of your life." He promised.

"I can only imagine."

Then got into the car and began to drive to Locksley Inc., where they would be starting work after the four week break.

When they arrived, they parked in his original spot, shutting the car off and sitting there calmly. Robin sighed and stared outside the car, he didn't dare look at the 'new' building. He felt frozen.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked.

He turned to her and grabbed her hand, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Robin got out of the car and his mouth dropped at the sight of his new office building. It was a jaw dropping sight. Regina met his presence and grabbed his hand, before soon joining him in the mouth dropping stare. It was something brand new - big, tall, modern. Everything about it was beautiful. Robin froze as Regina tried to pull him with her, eager to see the inside. She came back to him and kiss him lightly, "We're in this together."

With a nod, he followed her inside, revealing the newly painted walls, the fresh scent of new building, the newly decorated offices, and the sense of home. He took in it all: the blue walls, the new wooden planks under his feet, the pristine white desks in front of every office, and the elevators down the hall. He was amazed at the sight, actually. Robin and Regina made their way to sign in, where they bumped into Snow, who was holding a newborn baby.

"You two! How have you been? I heard about all of the disasters and I couldn't reach you and I was worried and-"

"Snow, you're glowing!" Regina said as she hugged Snow's side lightly. She stared at the newborn baby in Snow's arms and gave him a little tickle, in which she got a giggle in return, "He's beautiful."

"Neal is his name," she smiled, "Would you like to hold him, Regina?"

"Can I?" Regina said. As Snow nodded, she carefully placed Neal into Regina's arms. Regina rocked her body side to side and laughed as Neal tried to grab her fingers. He was precious, everything she had expected a baby to be. She felt like she was holding her heart in her hands. She had always wanted to be a mother, everything about it made her feel giddy. Snow went over to talk to Robin.

He stood in awe - the image of Regina and a baby had struck him like no other. He couldn't help but let his mouth curve into a smile and his eyes soften. Snow rubbed his shoulder and looked up at him, noticing that his gaze was on solely one person, "How is she?"

"Mentally, emotionally, or physically?" Robin said, quickly shifting his gaze to Snow and then back to the beautiful image in front of him.

She shrugged, "How _is_ she, Robin?"

"She's slowly getting better. The burns have healed, the bruises are almost all gone; now we just have to worry about the scars that are permanently cut into her mind," he said without looking at Snow, "And I am here for her for every step of the way."

"When's the wedding?" She said as he looked at her, "What? David has been asking."

Robin laughed and elbowed her a little before Regina interrupted their conversation with a whining Neal, "I don't think he likes me."

"He loves you." Robin said.

Snow laughed as she took him in her arms and hushed his cries, "Of course he does, he's just a little hungry."

"Lunch?" Regina said, "You can invite David?"

Snow looked at Robin for a nod of acceptance, and then she took her phone out and called David. When she walked away from the two to talk to her husband, Regina grabbed Robin's hands and leaned in for a kiss before they were interrupted again by an unexpected guest.

"Regina, I, um, hate to interrupt, but-"

"No need for an explanation, John," she sighed and rubbed Robin's cheek before meeting John by the lobby desk, "Let's make this quick. What do you need?"

He looked down at his hands and rubbed them, a nervous habit he had, and then finally built up enough courage to look at her eyes, "I want to apologize."

"For?"

"Treating you like some toy," John sighed, "I didn't want to hurt ya or anything, it was just some fun. I'll do anything to make it up to you, really. I really am sorry, Regina."

"Alright, I accept your apology," she said as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Thank you."

He blushed and nodded as she slipped past him and returned to Robin, interlocking their hands and rubbing against his side. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he turned to her, "David is on his way. He's meeting us, let's go."

Regina nodded and they walked to his car, following Snow to the cafe just down the street. They parked and met Snow and David in the parking lot, all of them walking in together.

"How have you been, Regina? All is good?" David said. Snow elbowed him in the side and hushed Neal to sleep.

She shrugged, "I'm getting by, Robin is really making it easier for me."

"That's wonderful that you two share a love so powerful that even the darkest of souls can't pull you apart," David smiled as they started to walk to the booth, "It's almost like-"

"True love." Snow cut in.

David grabbed Regina's hand and stared at the diamond on her finger, them all stopping in the middle of the cafe, "The ring is magnificent."

"Extraordinary, Robin. How ever did you pick it?" Snow said as she examined the diamond.

"I picked something that resembled the sparkles in her eyes every time I looked at her." He said as he looked at her, there was the sparkle. She blushed and kissed him sweetly.

Regina laughed and eyed Robin before she turned her head and her gaze caught the brown eyes filled with burning rage of Belle French. She tried to stop staring, but Belle held a dark glare as she watched Regina and her friends sit down and get their menus. Regina flipped her hair and looked down to the menu and then back up at Belle, noticing that she was still staring, "I'll be back in just a minute."

Regina tucked her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath as she stood from the booth, making her way to the ladies room. When she was fully inside, she stared at herself in the mirror and was interrupted by the door swinging open to reveal an angry Belle. Belle eyed her with fury and stepped closer to her, staring her up and down, "Regina."

"Belle."

Belle crossed her arms over her chest and stepped even closer to her, "If you can't tell, I'm pretty angry with the current situation."

Regina turned to face the mirror and reapplied her lipstick, "And what situation is that?"

"You know exactly what it is," Belle said before smacking the lipstick out of Regina's hands, "How could you just let my fiancé go to jail?"

"Fiancé?" Regina said as she turned to Belle and crossed her arms, "He proposed to you?"

"Why? Are you jealous?" Belle teased.

Regina rolled her eyes, "Not at all, Miss French. In fact, very delighted. So sorry about his current location, though."

"You just let him get arrested-"

"Belle, you have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know what he was involved in or what he was doing," she spit out, "Believe me, for the first two weeks, I felt so guilty. I woke up from nightmares every night, in which he somehow escaped and came to kill me. I kept seeing him as if it was all an illusion or something. My stomach hurt at the mention of his name. But when he was arrested, I felt so relieved, like some large weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I guess that him going to jail is just for the better."

"For the better? For the better? Are you insane?" Belle said with a harsh tone, "You have no right to decide what's for the better for me, or anyone."

"I had to protect myself, you wouldn't understand." Regina said.

Belle rolled her eyes, "I didn't have to understand. I had to be able to keep him in my life. I had to have him see me one more time. I had to kiss him one more time. _You_ wouldn't understand that, Regina. You never _loved_ him."

"But I have loved someone, Belle. I know how much it hurts, but you're going to have to get through it. I did what I thought was best for me and my family. I couldn't be thinking about others-"

"I'm pregnant," Belle said with wet eyes, "With his child. _That_ is why I am angry with you. You put my child's father in jail."

Regina's mouth dropped, "Belle, I didn't know-"

"And if you did, would you still have done what you did?"

Regina was silent. She still would've let him go to jail. She had no words. Of course, a child should never grow up without his father, but no child deserved a father like Gold. She felt bad, for sure, but Gold was another piece breaking her apart.

And she couldn't let him get away with anything.

"Exactly, that's what I thought. I shouldn't have expected so much from a slut like you," Belle yelled before slapping Regina's face and then covering her mouth in shock, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, Regina."

Regina grabbed her face and turned to the mirror, "Whatever, we're done here. I have a fiancé to care to, a friend to talk to, and a wedding to plan. You have none of those."

Belle let out a single tear before rushing out of the bathroom and leaving Regina alone to stare at the red mark on her face. She covered it with her hand and rubbed it, shutting her eyes and remembering the same action that was done by Cora. She remembered that stinging pain that consumed her face after every slap.

" _You worthless child! Just tell me what I need and no one will get hurt." Cora demanded._

 _Regina's eyes grew watery as she stared up at her mother, every second made her want to be home even more. Each minute away from Robin made her entire body ache a little bit more._

 _Cora brought her hand up in the air, "Do we have to return to violence? Are you that ignorant?"_

" _Mother, please-"_

 _Before she could finish the sentence, Regina's face met Cora's hard hand, leaving Regina with tingles and sharp pains being spewed across her face. Never had she endured so much pain._

" _Now tell me, or I'll slap you again," Cora said, "And get the man you love."_

" _Don't hurt him," she begged, "Anything but him."_

" _You don't deserve love."_

 _Regina let go of her emotions and let the tears escape her eyes, "I do. I have changed, you don't know me anymore."_

" _People don't change," she said, "Give me the damn code."_

 _Regina shook her head, infuriating Cora even more than she already was. Cora raised her hand and then came the slap - again._

Regina shook her head and opened her eyes.

Stop it.

Cora was gone.

It was all over.

She let the redness fade in another few minutes she stayed in there. Then, she made her way out to the booth and sat down like she had been there the whole time.

"You alright?" Robin whispered to her. Regina simply nodded and returned her attention to Snow.

"We just ordered a bunch of appetizers and drinks." David said.

Regina laughed, "Sounds good to me."

"Snow, are you trying to say something? You look like you're about to explode." Robin said as his arm wrapped around Regina's body.

Snow's eyes grew wide and a big smile formed on her face, "I was waiting for Regina to bring this up, but I guess I'll have to."

"Bring what up?"

"Have you started planning the wedding yet?" Snow said.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again. So, this chapter took a lot from me, and now for the next three weeks, I am blocked out with showcases, rehearsals, tech dates, and other things. I promise you all that I will try my very hardest to write in every opportunity possible because I feel that you guys deserve another chapter.**

 **However, I am a little upset that the views and reactions to this story have died down. I am just worried a little that I spend all this time working to get these chapters to you, and I don't know if you are still as captivated by the writing as you used to be. If you can be kind enough to review every once in awhile or promote this story on your social media and tag me in it, I would feel grateful.**

 **Thank you and will update you soon enough.**

 **That's all for now.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Definitely a rushed chapter, sorry about that. Tech week just started and I am writing whenever so have free time. I will most likely update Tuesday and Friday but I can't promise anything.**

 **Thank you for sticking with me**.

* * *

"The wedding?" Regina said, her eyes wide, and then looked over at Robin, "We haven't even talked about it."

"Well, then good thing I'm here to help. I was a wedding planner back before I applied to work for Robin, so-"

"Snow, calm down." David laughed.

Regina smiled and rubbed Snow's hand as their food finally arrived and they ate.

* * *

A week later…

"This is just one of the first planning steps, Robin." Regina reassured him as she gripped his arm and pulled him into the kitchen with her. Snow turned and acknowledged their presence before pulling them toward her and introducing them to a man.

The man held out his hand, "Carlos Mikaelson, pleased to meet the bride and groom to be."

Robin shook his hand, "Robin Locksley, and this is my fiancée, Regina."

"Hello, thank you for taking the time to meet with us on such a short notice." Regina shook his hand afterwards.

Carlos shrugged and nodded, "Of course. I usually request a few months or so in advance, but recently someone has cancelled so I had an opening for you."

"It was very nice to squeeze us in. I know how busy you can get," Robin smiled as Snow sat them all down at the table. She handed Carlos a file as he quickly scanned over it and then looked up at the two.

"It will not be easy to pull off a wedding in a matter of three weeks," he said, slightly frowning, "But Carlos will make it work. No need to worry."

Robin nodded graciously, "We know it'll be hard, but we are so eager to finally be joined in matrimony that this was the only option."

"I completely understand. That's how my wife and I were; we got married, and then had a child within the first year of our marriage. I know love when I see it," Carlos said.

"So, I definitely want it outside." Regina said, budging into the conversation.

Robin agreed with her, "And smaller than a traditional wedding, only family and close friends."

Snow wrote down everything they were saying and chimed in, "You said you wanted the ceremony outside and the other stuff inside right?"

"Oh, yes. That's what I said earlier," Regina said, "I'm going to have to find a dress soon-"

"Any color schemes you'd like?" Carlos asked.

Robin turned to Regina and shrugged, "I kind of like the gold/burgundy color scheme, is that what we are going with or the rich blue/lavender?"

"The burgundy would most likely pull out your physical features more and make it seem more cherished, Miss Regina, but the lavender and blue will compliment your personality and have a lighter, more calm demeanor," Carlos said, "It's entirely up to you which one you want."

"If I may chip in, Regina?" Snow asked.

She nodded as Snow continued, "I believe that the gold/burgundy would be a stunning but traditional scheme, that would both pull out your physical and emotional beauty and show how much you really want to remember this. Not only will it seem like you respect this joining but it will show everyone else just how much you love each other. The darker colors and the sparklier ones tend to accentuate you perfectly."

"Alright, then we're going with the gold/burgundy." Regina said.

"Now, cake, I shall have made personally by my close friend, Emily; she is magnificent and has worked on cakes for celebrities' weddings. I have made an appointment for you and Snow to go dress shopping tomorrow at the Magical Weddings Dress Shoppe on 46th Street. It's at 11AM." Carlos said.

Snow wrote it down and handed a piece of paper to Regina with everything that they had already talked about in the meeting.

"Tomorrow around 3 I'll be back here and visit you, Robin, so that we can go get a tux." Carlos added.

"That's perfect." He said.

"And I have already ordered invitations and we can run through a guest list later on by ourselves." Snow said.

Robin nodded with Regina as Carlos started to clean up and stood in front of them. He shook their hands again and smiled before leaving their house. Snow turned to them and sighed contently, "Ready to go through this guest list so I can send invites out tomorrow?"

* * *

The next day…

"So, what kind of dress are you looking for?" Snow asked as they walked down the sidewalk.

Regina turned to her and shrugged, "Not sure."

"Surely you must have an idea," Snow elbowed her a little, "Don't tell me that you've never dreamed of this day. You've never had a little journal or booklet with your Dream wedding details?"

"Actually, I think I had something of the sort," she said, "I'm just all of a sudden blanking out."

Snow rubbed Regina's arm and smiled, "Well, it's alright. You've got me and you've still got like three weeks, so don't get nervous yet!"

They walked into Magical Weddings Dress Shoppe and began searching for the perfect dress.

* * *

Regina came out of the dress room for the fiftieth time that morning, finally with a smile on her face. She told Snow to open her eyes and was amazed to see the reaction.

"It's amazing," she said, "Absolutely amazing."

Regina spun around and held her hands in the air, laughing, and then stopped in front of the mirror to look at herself. The dress was a beautifully laced ball gown, with sleeves going down to just above her wrists. It was embroidered with graceful lace designs, the skirt flowing down to the ground. It came in at the waist and then came out, like any princess's or queen's dream gown.

Regina was amazed at the dress, but even more so at the image of her in it.

"This is the one, Snow," she said with a huge smile, "I can feel it."

"Approval of the mother or?" The fitter asked Regina."

"Oh, um, my mother won't be coming today," Regina said as she stepped back into the fitting room, "But my maid of honor is right there."

"Maid of honor?" Snow said with wet eyes. Regina came back out in her regular clothes and hugged Snow.

"Of course, you are my maid of honor. I wouldn't want it any other way."

* * *

He heard a knock.

"Carlos! Hello?" Robin said as he tightened the tie on his robe, "It's only 1 o' clock?"

"A man should always be ready for a pouncing!" Carlos said as he stepped inside and pushed Robin up the stairs, "Now go get dressed!"

In a matter of minutes, Robin was back downstairs and dressed to go out. His hair was still a mess, so Carlos just laughed and hurried him out of the house.

They drove to a little place on the edge of the city called Grooms R' Us. It was a smaller shoppe than Robin expected, but inside seemed like a whole other world. Robin was amazed when he emerged into the sea of tuxedos, vests, dress shoes, bow ties, etc. As he stared wide eyed at the many amounts of clothing, Carlos had already picked up four or five outfits Robin could try on. He ushered Robin to the fitting room and handed him the outfits before plopping himself on the couch and waiting for Robin to model each one.

"Where's your best man at?" Carlos asked.

Robin came out of the fitting room and finished buttoning up his vest as he spoke, "Taking care of his child. I figured David should pay attention to his two month old kid rather than picking out a suit for me."

"That one's nice," Carlos said as he brushed some lint off of Robin's shoulder, "But not nice enough for the wedding."

"I think it's rather dashing." Robin shrugged.

"Go change," Carlos said. Robin laughed as he was pushed back into the fitting room, changing into another tux.

* * *

Robin pulled out his phone and hung the tuxedo over his back. He dialed Regina's number.

"Hello, love," he said, "Any luck with you?"

Actually, lots of luck. What about you?

"I got one that fits perfectly."

Good, I'm glad. Are you still will Carlos?

"Yes," he said, "I was wondering what you were up to?"

Just finishing up with Snow. Why?

"I wanted to cook you a nice dinner later, just the two of us," Robin said, "We haven't really spent any alone time together lately."

It's just with everything going on, and Gold and Cora finally leaving us alone-

"Yeah, all that. So are you up for it?"

I'll be home in a half hour.

"That should be enough time. Drop Snow off at home before you get here."

Why? Not interested in an audience when we-

"You know what I mean, Regina." He laughed.

Of course. See you soon.

"Goodbye."

He shook Carlos's hand and let him leave before he hung his tux in his closet. With a content sigh, he came back downstairs and started an attempt at lasagna. Within the next twenty minutes, Robin scrambled around the house to fix himself by applying more cologne, re-brushing his teeth, geling his hair back, and changing into a more presentable shirt.

As he took the lasagna out of the oven, he heard the door swing open and the faint clicking of heels coming toward him. He let a smirk form on his face as he placed the lasagna on the table and suddenly felt hands on his abdomen. With a slight turn of his head, he made eyes contact with her.

Her pinked lips formed a smirk and kissed him sweaty before he spun around and caressed her cheek, "Hello."

Then he stole another kiss.

"Hey." Regina said. She inhaled the scent of lasagna, "Lasagna? You know how to make lasagna?"

"Well, I tried," he laughed as he held the chair open for her to sit and then pushed her in. He sat down next to her and served her some of his dish, before letting the taste consume him.

She did the same and looked at him, "It's actually quite delicious."

"Why, thank you Chef Mills."

She laughed at him.

They finished their meals and cleaned up the dining room. He insisted that she let him clean up himself but she would not let him. Regina strolled into the living room and Robin met her in there with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He placed them on the coffee table and poured the red wine into them before handing her a glass. With a smile, she held the glass up to his, them clinking in the process. Robin sat next her and wrapped his arm around her body, to which she soon sank into his embrace and found herself almost lying completely across his legs. Her one arm was around his neck, her hand playing with his dark blonde hair, while the other hand was holding the almost-empty glass of wine.

"You were right," she said, "We haven't done this in a while."

He looked over at her and watched as she sipped the last bit of her wine, how her lips met the glass and how she licked them when the last bits of wine were finally gulped down. With a smirk, he asked, "Another glass?"

"Well, of course." She replied as he filled her glass again.

His free hand landed on her abdomen, rubbing it lightly and letting his fingertips play with the hem of her shirt. He would occasionally stick his fingertips under her shirt and graze the soft skin. She giggled at his touch, "You know that tickles."

"Would it be better if I did this?"

Robin moved his hand down to her thigh, feeling the tightness of the material of her pencil skirt. He gripped her thigh, pulling her body toward him, "Or this?"

Suddenly his hand was hidden under the material of her skirt. The feeling of his hand moving up and down her thigh and the heat that was suddenly so present in her core was almost unbearable. She shuddered under his touch and gave him a scandalous look before placing her again-empty glass on the coffee table, "That's nothing."

She sat up and straddled him, her legs on each side of him, and her abdomen against his. Her hand found the collar of his shirt as she started to unfasten the top button, slowly and seductively, licking her lips ever so slightly. When the first button was undone, she moved into the second one, her eyes finding his and hinting at the growing desire and aching that she had developed in the past five minutes. When the second and third button were undone, her hand slipped under his shirt and skimmed his chiseled abs and muscles. He let out a shallow breath before looking straight at her, then her lips, then her eyes again. With a raised brow, she suddenly pulled his shirt apart, buttons flying to the floor, and rubbed her body against his chest, "You know it's been a long time since we-"

"We've been so busy." He repulsed as his hand landed on her waist. He eagerly claimed her lips, sucking ever so intensely, before her arms wrapped around his neck and deepened the kiss. Within seconds, he pushed her down on the couch so he could hang over her, his hands exploring her body like he had never touched her before. The kiss grew needier and both of them expresses a desire for internal contact. He pulled off her shirt and quickly unclasped her bra, not breaking the heated kiss they were sharing. In another moment, she was up and unbuckling his belt as he sucked that special spot on her neck. She moaned quietly and grounded against his body as her hands grasped his waist, her fingernails sinking into his back and leaving marks. Robin quickly reclaimed her lips as her hands pulled the belt through the loops, throwing it to the ground and unzipping his pants. She palmed him and starting to pump as he groaned into her mouth. The kiss then grew even more rough. He pushed her back against the couch again, unzipping her skirt and watching as she kicked it to the ground and then heading himself down to her core and working his tongue. She was already burning to the touch and shaking as his tongue started to work.

"Robin, just-"

"Alright, your wish is my command." He said as he came towards her and inserted himself into her. She moaned loudly as he entered her, her head falling to his shoulder as he started to thrust.

They were already sweating. When she was close to her end, they were interrupted by the doorbell.

Robin froze and Regina's fingernails sunk into his shoulders, almost drawing blood, "What the hell?"

"I'm not sure, just be quiet."

She whispered back, "That's kind of hard when I'm in such a state-"

"Shh…" he said as his lips met hers lightly.

They waited a few seconds before they heard another doorbell. Robin slid himself out of her before pulling his pants on and zipping up. She stood and grabbed her clothes, slipping her skirt on and clasping her bra back together.

They still remained silent. Regina couldn't find her shirt, so she sent Robin a panicked look. Then, they heard the sound of a key unlocking the door.

And the door swung open.

Robin turned and stared, his mouth dropped and his eyes wide open.

Regina did her best to cover up her nudeness by crossing her arms. Her face grew a dark shade of red as she looked at the person standing in the doorway and then back at Robin.

"Hello, Robin," the woman said, "And friend?"

Regina stared at her with wide eyes and gulped.

"What are you doing here, Marian?" Robin said as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

* * *

REVIEW?


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello everyone! So, short chapters, like 3000 words, until the end of May. May is slowly becoming more and more stressful for me, but I am trying to keep updating this story.**

 **Please, please, keep reviewing so I know there are still people who** _ **want**_ **to read this story.**

 **Kisses.**

* * *

"Marian? As in _the_ Marian?" Regina's mouth dropped as she came up behind Robin and let her fingertips land on the small of his back.

She scuffed the floor with her foot and stepped forward, crossing her arms and scoffing, "As if you couldn't point me out a mile away, please, honey. Yes, I am _the_ Marian."

Regina, taken back by Marian's sass and straightforwardness, allowed her fingers to grasp the skin on his back and tighten around it, "Cocky as ever."

"I'm not sure I know who you are, dear," Marian said, coming toward Regina and walking around her and Robin, "Let me give it a guess?"

Regina gulped and didn't move an inch.

"A prostitute?" Marian laughed and stopped so she was parallel to Regina, giving her a dark stare and then scoffing again, "Robin always _loved_ the dangerous kind."

Robin snapped out of whatever trance he was under and wrapped his arm around Regina's waist, pulling her to his chest and almost shielding her for Marian's words, "She is my fiancée, Marian - not that it's any of your business."

"Oh my god," Marian covered her mouth and snickered, "Did I interrupt while you two were-"

"The details don't need to be shared at this moment," Robin stated, "What the hell are you doing here? And why do you still have my house key?"

Marian watched as Robin ushered Regina to the kitchen door, where she picked up her shirt and pulled it over her head, leaning on the doorway and crossing her arms. Robin came to the couch and picked up the pillow from the floor before silently placing it back on the couch and then turning to Marian. She came close to him, her hand landing on his bare chest and then her finger tracing down his arm and grabbing his hand, pulling it up to her lips and landing a soft kiss on it. She held up her other hand to Regina, who was red and furious, and ready to pounce. Then, Marian opened his hand and placed the house key in his palm, before shutting it completely and letting his hand fall to his side.

"Get out, Marian." Robin said, without making eye contact.

She let her hand caress his cheek as Regina stepped toward her, "You picked out a fussy and jealous one, huh? You figured there was no point in trying to get better than me after I left you so you pick one from the - lower class?"

Robin grabbed her wrist and pulled it off of her face, "I'm not particularly interested in your disgusting comments toward my fiancée."

"And her name?" Marian whispered, "Notice how you haven't mentioned it the whole time I've been here?"

"Regina," she cut in and placed her hand in Robin's bicep, "Regina Mills."

Marian smirked at her, scanning Regina's entire body and then eyeing her down with suspicion, "Robin, love."

Robin's head shot down and he looked at Marian, his cheeks fuming with a reddened color and his eyes widening with a burning hatred, "Do not say that, Marian."

"Mhm." She nodded and pushed herself away from him, watching as Regina's grip grew tighter on Robin. Marian brought a finger to her chin and then spun around, looking at the two again and laughing.

"Why are you here?" Robin said again.

Marian shrugged, "I have my reasons."

"Then say them or get out." Regina said.

"Sassy one you've caught, huh, Robin?" Marian came up to her and traced her jawline with her finger, "But beautiful."

"Don't touch me," Regina said as she smacked Marian's hand away from her face. With a snicker, Marian raised an eyebrow and then looked back at Robin, "Listen, I need a place to stay - for reasons I can't quite share with everyone here. You're my only hope, Robin."

"Marian, I don't think that's-"

"Only for like a week or two, then I'll be out of your hair. Robin, please, I'll tell you soon enough and you'll understand-"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Marian," Regina said as she let go of Robin's arm and stepped towards the other woman, "Especially with _your_ history."

Marian sent Robin a wet glare as he sighed, "One week."

"Thank you, Robin." Marian smiled as she stepped towards the door, "I'll go get my stuff."

When she stepped outside, Regina turned towards Robin with her hands on her hips, "Are you kidding me? I cannot believe you right now."

"Regina-"

"I need a minute." She said as she rushed up the stairs and left Robin alone in the living room, awaiting the presence of his ex-fiancée and forever feeling alone once more. When Marian came back in, he sent her a sad, but angry, glare and shook his head as he said, "You know where the guest room is."

Robin went up the stairs and heard Marian follow him up the stairs and through the hall, before they parted ways, him going into his bedroom and her going into the guest room down the hall.

When he shut the door, he sighed and saw Regina pacing in the corner of the room. He strolled over to her and opened his arms, sending her an upset look and saying, "What was I supposed to do?"

"Robin, don't talk to me unless you have a good excuse as to why you have your ex-fiancée sleeping next door to you and your current fiancée!"

He grabbed her hand and stopped her from turning away, "Regina, please."

"Don't touch me, Robin," she said, flinching at his touch and taking her hand away from him, "Do you still love her?"

"What?" Robin said, staring at her, "Of course not."

Regina crossed her arms and sighed, rubbing her eyes and sitting down on the bed. Robin stood in silence for a few seconds before sitting down next to her and rubbing her back, "I proposed to _you_."

"You proposed to her too, before me."

"Regina. Look at me," he said, guiding her chin to face him, "You - and only you - are the one I love. No past fiancée is ever going to change that. You make me happy in ways that are unexplainable. Regina, you are my future."

She looked at him with wet eyes, "I'm sorry. It was a spur of the moment jealousy that hit me-"

"I wouldn't be too happy if you introduced me to a past fiancée or whatever either," he kissed her forehead, "But for now, let's try to get through this together, alright?"

"No more fights." She said.

"You have my word."

She sealed his promise with a light kiss before they leaned on each other's foreheads. In the next minutes, they changed into their pajamas and met again in the bed. He switched the light off and tucked her in, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her so close that he was keeping her more warm than the blanket was. He never let go.

* * *

Robin woke first, to the smell of French toast and bacon. He turned to his side, noticing that Regina was still asleep and instantly had a knot build in his stomach. It was Marian - cooking in his kitchen - like she did way back when. He yawned and sat up, carefully and quietly, being sure not to wake Regina. Then, he lightly kissed her cheek and stood from the bed, grabbing his robe and wrapping it around his body. Robin knew deep down that it was a bad idea to confront Marian - especially this early in the morning and not in the presence of Regina - but his mind was not in his body. He found himself walking down the hallway and then down the stairs, coming into the kitchen and staring at Marian. She turned around and smiled, shutting off the oven and placing a plate full of French toast in the center of the table, before coming over to him.

"You're making breakfast?" Robin asked.

She shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, come sit and eat some."

He reluctantly nodded before slipping past her and sitting down at the table. She met him and sat next to him, serving herself and Robin some breakfast. They first ate in silence, occasionally peeking up at each other and studying their actions. The longer Robin continued to be near her, the tighter the knot grew in his stomach.

She broke the silence with a sigh and stared at him, "There _are_ actual reasons why I'm here, Robin."

He looked up to her but said nothing.

She stopped eating now, "I have a problem, and I need your help. You're the only one who can help me."

"What's the issue, Marian?" He asked.

With another sigh, she looked down and then back up at him, "I'm pregnant."

Robin stood up and gave her a shocked look, "What the hell, Marian?"

"What's wrong?" Regina said as she came into Robin's vision. She had a silk red robe tied around her body and her hair was still slightly messy from her slumber. Her eyebrow was raised and her arms were crossed as she eyed down the breakfast the two were sharing.

Robin's mouth dropped at the sight of Regina and then he looked back to Marian, who said, "I'm not so sure you'll be happy with what I'm about to say."

"Tell me that it's another reason why I wouldn't want you here," Regina said as she walked towards the two, wrapping her arms around Robin's waist and leaning into him, "Tell me."

Marian sighed and stared at Regina, "I'm pregnant."

"You're what?" Regina's arm dropped as she stepped away from Robin and toward Marian.

Marian nodded, "You heard me. And I'm almost 100% sure that Robin is the father."

Regina turned to Robin with wet eyes, her walls had suddenly grew back up to their original height. She never thought that she'd have to go through this type of thing. She never expected for Marian to ever, _ever_ , come back and bring a child with her - Robin's child. Her mouth dropped and she had no words. She was incapable of saying anything.

"Regina-" Robin began to say.

"Don't." Regina said as she wiped her eyes and ran out of the kitchen. Then, there was silence as Marian's and Robin's eyes met, before Robin shook his head and left Marian alone.

Robin ran up the stairs and into his room, only to find Regina packing herself a bag.

"What are you doing?" He panicked as he shut the door behind him. She didn't answer so he came beside her and grabbed her hand, only to which she shook off and took her hand back, "Regina-"

"Don't 'Regina' me, Robin."

Robin sat down on the bed and looked up to her, but she didn't look at him, "I know you're angry."

"Angry isn't the half of it."

"I don't know how this is possible, really. Marian and I haven't slept together in a long time," he said, "I don't think it's my child."

"Bullshit, Robin," she said, finally looking at him, her eyes were red and puffy from crying, "Don't make excuses."

He stood up and stared at her, "Don't jump to conclusions."

"Jump to conclusions? Your ex-fiancée just took shelter in our home - _our home_ \- and told you that she was pregnant with _your_ child. How am I jumping to conclusions?" She yelled.

"You're choosing to believe her." He yelled back.

She sighed angrily and closed her bag before taking it over her shoulder, "You think she's lying about her child?"

He shrugged "It's possible."

She rolled her eyes, "Well, if this is some sick way of getting you back, it's working."

"Regina, its not like that," he sighed as she began to walk past him, "I love you and only you. Why can't you understand that?"

She didn't look back at him, but she spoke with her back to him, "I can try to understand that, but I just can't believe it - at least not right now while we're in this current situation. You let her tay in _our_ home, Robin. You knew that it would cause trouble and yet you still let her stay here. In the moment she was standing in front of us both, you made a choice, her over us. _You_ screwed up."

He came up behind her and grabbed her hand, spinning her toward him so she could see the ache in his face and the pain in his eyes, "Please, don't go."

"I need some time to cool down, Robin. Maybe it isn't such a good idea me being here with you _all_ the time." She said as she shook his hand off once more and sent him a longing look before leaving his bedroom. He ran his fingers through his hair and couldn't believe what just happened. Within the next seconds he ran down the stairs and saw the front door was left open - with Regina getting into a cab in the front driveway. Their eyes met and they shared one more gaze before the car pulled away, and Robin was left alone in his house with Marian and his so-called child.

Marian came behind him and shut the door, "I guess it's just you, me, and our unborn child."

He ignored her comment and ran back up the stairs and into his room, only to find his engagement ring he proposed to Regina with sitting on the dresser, "Damn it."

* * *

 _Three hours later…_

Robin sat on his bed, his hands together and his eyes shut. He had never felt so alone. Yes, he screwed up. Yes, he did the wrong thing. But no - he didn't expect to lose everything he had loved. He had lost _everything_ , his everything was just _her._ He never accepted the idea that one person could make or break you - but now he had a personal experience to prove that.

It was hell. Not having her next to him to hold, not having the opportunity to kiss her, not being able to stare at her eyes and instantly feel calm, and not being able to express his love. And it was all because of him.

All because something inside of him trusted Marian and what she was saying.

All because of his stupid feeling that told him to argue instead of trying to figure out things.

All because he thought he was right.

All because he thought he'd never lose her.

Well, what they say is true - you don't realize how special something is until you lose it.

With a sigh, Robin stood and paced around his bedroom. He pulled out his phone and dialed Regina's number, letting it ring a few times. There was no answer. Of course she wasn't going to answer, but he had to try. He called again.

* * *

Regina saw the screen of her phone light up and saw Robin's picture. She stared at it, part of her wanted to answer it, but the other part told her not to. Then, she let it go to voicemail. She turned the ringer off and sat on her armchair, curled up in a ball, and finished drinking her wine. She looked around the empty apartment, taking in the absence of Robin. Regina placed her empty glass on the table next to her before standing and walking over to the window, where she stared out at the storm clouds that were forming.

Suddenly, there was an aura of grey around her. It was a mist that wouldn't rise. A state of depression that she couldn't see herself through. She felt a terrible weight on her shoulders. It was as if a giant boulder was laid on her and she couldn't straighten up or catch her breath entirely. A single tear rolled down her cheek. The sudden, deep pain in her heart was so bad, she felt like her whole world had come crashing down on her, and she collapsed to her knees, sobbing in her distress. She didn't know what to do. She leaned against the couch and continued to cry. For some reason, it felt like the only thing that she _could_ do.

* * *

"Robin!"

He came down the stairs and into the kitchen, sitting in his seat in silence. Marian came and was about to sit in Regina's seat when Robin stopped her, "Don't sit there."

"Why not?"

"That's Regina's chair." He said without making eye contact. She didn't reply but stayed where she was, before pulling on the chair and sitting in it anyways. He looked up at her with his mouth dropped, "What did I just say?"

"She's gone, Robin," she sighed, "She's not coming back."

"Don't say that." He said.

She shrugged and began to eat, "I'm just stating the facts. No need to get all hyped about it."

"Marian, I'd rather you not comment on Regina and I's relationship." He said, still staring at her, but his anger building behind his words.

She looked up at him, "What relationship? From what I heard, you two aren't anything anymore."

He stared at her, the anger coming through his eyes. Robin stood and sighed angrily, "Do not - not even think - or say anything about Regina. _You_ drove her out of here. Your dumb excuse to be pregnant with my child ruined the one thing I loved more than anything. You have _no_ right to speak about her, our relationship, or anything that doesn't include you."

"This child is yours, Robin," she said, "Believe me or not."

"I don't believe you," he said.

She shrugged and stood, cleaning her area and putting the dishes in the dishwasher, "It doesn't matter what you believe, because at the end of the day, you're here with me and the child and not with Regina. She believes me. If she can, why can't you?"

"She doesn't know who you are." He said, stopping her at the dishwasher and grabbing her wrist, "She has no idea of your past."

"Let go of me." She said. He did as he was told, before she slipped past him and went to the stairs before yelling back at him, "We have an appointment tomorrow morning at 9. And yes, you're coming."

With a sigh, he slammed his hand on the counter and kicked the cabinets.

There was no way he was losing Regina.

No way he was going to live without her.

He was going to fix this.

Even if it meant risking it all.

* * *

 **I wanted Marian to seem like a complete bitch, which worked out because that's literally how I interpreted her this chapter. Everything will hopefully be resolved soon. Maybe send me a little review?**

 **XOXO**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Still tech week, but still updating. I guess I'd like you guys to let me know if I should keep writing. I hate to be like that author, but I don't seem to be getting reviews that want me to keep writing. I get the occasional one or two that says the chapter is good, but are any other people reading?**

 **Enjoy this chapter. I'll see you on Tuesday.**

 **Kisses and good luck.**

* * *

"Robin, wake the hell up!" Marian said as she hit him in the arm. He groaned at her words and pulled the blanket over his head. She gripped it and pulled the entire thing off of the bed and smacked him again.

He sprung up and groaned again, "It's too early for this."

"Get up. We're leaving in five." She demanded.

He met her downstairs by the door in the five minutes, ready to go. He was panting from running around the house. She turned to him and stared, before coming in front of him and brushing her fingers through his hair to fix it. He stood there awkwardly and didn't dare to move. Then, she caressed his cheek and smiled, "Come on."

When she turned away, he shook his hand and sighed before following her to the car.

When they arrived at the doctor's office, they sat in the waiting room in silence for a good ten minutes. The secretary called Marian up to the front and talked to her for a few minutes, but Robin couldn't make out what they were saying. Marian came back over to him and patted his chest as she spoke, "Just stay out here while I go in there. It'll be quick."

"Why can't I go with you? I am the father." He protested.

She froze and then spoke, "Just deal with it."

"Why did you drag me here if I can't go in?"

She quickly kissed his cheek and pushed him back down into his seat before rushing to the back with the nurse. He grabbed his cheek where she left the kiss, and his mouth dropped. She was trying to warm up to him.

Robin crossed his arms and sighed before starting to watch the News on the TV hanging across the room.

* * *

Robin began pacing around the room. It had been over an hour. He spun as he heard the door open behind him, revealing Marian stuffing an envelope in her purse and shaking the nurse's hand. He narrowed his eyes at get as she came toward him with a big smile, "Ready?"

"Did it go well?"

She nodded hurriedly, "Of course. Come on."

* * *

Regina slept in late and made herself a big breakfast that consisted of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, grilled sausage, hashbrowns, and strawberries. By the time she had finished eating and cleaning up, it was already around 10, and she decided to jump in the shower. "Jump" shouldn't have been used to explain it. She took a very long one, it was around an hour. She chose to stay in there, to absorb the warmth of the water that soon turned cold after some time. She chose to stay there so she could clean her mind of any thoughts that gravitated toward Robin.

But that didn't work.

Regina stood from the bath and started to drain it, grabbing for a towel to cover herself in. She fluffed her hair and made her way to her bedroom to put on jeans and a white t-shirt. She did so, and then she brushed her teeth and put on some makeup. It was almost 12 by the time she actually finished getting ready. She came and sat down in the living room, staring at the empty glass from the previous night. With a sigh, she continued to stare at it and then pulled her phone out of her pocket. She scrolled through the missed calls and worries messages from Robin, then threw her phone onto the couch.

Her gaze averted to the framed picture of her and Robin that was sitting on her coffee table. She fought it hard, but a smile formed on her face as she came up to grab it and hold it to her chest. Then, she reached for her phone and brought herself the courage to dial his number.

"Hello?"

 **Regina?**

"Yep, it's me." She sighed, "Listen, I know it's only been a day and I know for sure that I'm still angry but-"

 **Can I call you back later? Marian is throwing up right now and I need to go hold her hair. Damn it, Marian! In the toilet, not the garbage can!**

"Oh, um, I guess. Sorry for bothering you."

 **Talk to you later. Bye.**

He hung up the phone as she froze. She stayed in her position and then brought the phone down so she could stare at the image of him on her screen, that soon faded away. She gripped the phone tight and held it in her hand as she hugged herself and the framed photo.

* * *

Robin sighed as he went up the stairs, finally drew of helping Marian throw up. He jumped in the shower before getting changed into sweats. When he was done, he came back downstairs and met Marian in the living room. She was watching TV.

She turned to face him, "I'm going to go shower."

"You do that, and don't puke in there."

She rolled her eyes and slipped past him, shutting the TV off in the process. When he was sure she was up the stairs, he went into the kitchen and scoped the area for her purse. No sign of it. He came to the office room and found her purse hiding between some books on the bookshelf. He quickly grabbed it and started to shuffle through it, pulling out the yellow envelope from earlier that day.

Robin stared at it for a few minutes before tearing it open and pulling the paper out of it. Then, his mouth dropped.

He ran up the stairs and into the bathroom, bursting through the door and yelling, "Marian, get out here."

She stopped the shower and stepped out, reaching for her towel and smirking, "If you wanted me naked, you could have just asked."

"What is this?" He held up the piece of paper from the envelope in front of her face.

She took it from his hand and shrugged, "Nothing."

"Nothing? Really?"

"Robin, I swear it's not what you think-"

"It's not the DNA test of the child you are carrying?"

She didn't look at him, "Well, I didn't say that."

Robin's eyes grew watery and his anger started to build up. He took a deep breath before looking at her again, "I'm not the father."

"Robin, no, you are-"

"And that's why the baby's blood type is O?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" She said.

Robin sighed angrily, "I'm blood type A, and you're AB, which means that _our_ child cannot be O. It's not possible."

"Of course it's possible," she shrugged and went to pat his chest, "You _are_ the father."

He grabbed her wrist before she could do so and yelled, "Get out of my house, Marian."

"Robin, please don't do this," she cried, "I have no one else to go to."

"Tell me who's child it is."

Her eyes widened, "Yours!"

"The truth, Marian. Tell me the god forsaken truth!"

She sighed and tried to pull her wrist away, "I don't know who's kid it is."

He shook his head and let go of her wrist, "How dare you come here and make me lose the one person I loved more than anything? How dare you ruin my life to save your own ass? Get out of my house, Marian."

"Robin-"

"Pack your things, I'll call a cab."

With that, he stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Marian to cry on the floor.

Within the next ten minutes, the cab arrived and Marian was packed. She came down the stairs and stared at him with wet eyes.

"Robin, I'm sorry." Marian said as she opened the front door.

He crossed his arms, "No you aren't. It was all part of your plan, wasn't it? You wanted me back."

"Yes, I did. I thought this would work. You don't deserve Regina, you deserve someone who will care for you all the time and not run out when things get bad-"

"Goodbye, Marian. Don't _ever_ come back."

He shoved her out of his house and slammed the door behind her, punching the wall and sighing angrily.

* * *

 _An hour later…_

She heard a knock on the door. She had still been sitting in the same armchair, holding the same framed photo, and fighting the same tear that was pushing to come out of her eye. Her head turned at the sound of the knock again before she stood and walked over to the door, still holding the photo to her chest, and putting her phone in her pocket. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Robin there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Can I come in?" He said.

She held her arm out, letting him see the photo she was holding. He stared at her, then the photo, then back at her before saying, "That was a fun time."

"Huh?"

"The picture you're holding. That was the date before I proposed to you."

"Oh, yeah." She shrugged and shut the door as he strolled inside her apartment. He stood and leaned against the couch, turning to her and waiting for her to speak.

But she didn't.

So he did, "I'm sorry about before. When you called, I really wanted to talk, but-"

"Marian."

He nodded as she came over to the couch and threw the photo onto it. He watched her actions - he could tell the change in her demeanor and how she was speaking - she was as broken as him. Maybe even more broken.

"Regina, we need to talk about what happened." He said, turning to her.

She crossed her arms, "About what is _currently_ happening, Robin. I believe I have said everything I need to." She stepped closer with her arms crossed over her chest. She was trying to stay as strong as she could. She didn't want to break down, especially not right in front of him.

"No, Regina, I can't go on thinking you hate me." Robin stepped closer.

"I don't _hate_ you." Regina moved her eyes so that she wasn't looking directly at him.

"Regina, talk to me." he said.

She shrugged, "It isn't as easy as you think, Robin."

"Then tell me how it is." He begged as he grabbed her hands.

She shook him off of her, turning on her heel and leaning on the kitchen counter so that her back was to him, "Men don't understand. Women are emotional, maybe not all of us, but most of us are. You men have the luxury of moving onto the next woman like it's no big deal. For us, it's difficult, and for me, especially. You were something I gave myself up to. I gave everything I had, I told you all my secrets, confessed all my feelings. I even loved you more than I loved myself. I poured every inch of my care, my worry, my love, into you, Robin. You were my world."

"And you're still mine." He said.

She turned to him, "You're not understanding what I'm saying. You were my everything - which means that when you hurt me - you made it seem like my whole world was crashing. And it did, my entire world ended. See, because you were my everything, when I lost you, I lost everything. I was left alone with myself and the scraps of memories that you left in my mind. I tried hard to forget about you, to get rid of the special times we shared, the memories of you proposing, the hints of myself that wanted to go back to your house and take you back. But I simply couldn't. Everything reminded me of you. Every last piece of furniture, every text message, or smell in the air, every damn photo I stared at. I couldn't even go one second without thinking about what you were doing without me. Were you as miserable as I was? Were you upset and crying every twenty minutes? Did you cry yourself to sleep last night? No - probably not. That's because you don't feel the pain like I do."

He came toward her, "I may not cry, but I do feel the pain. I swear on everything we've ever shared, I do. Every second you weren't there beside me, I hated myself even more for what I did. I couldn't go by thinking that you hated me, that you never wanted to see me again. And then, when I saw the ring - how you left it on the dresser - that's when I broke. I somehow knew that it was the end. But I couldn't believe it. That's why I called, but you didn't pick up."

"Why would I? You were obviously preoccupied with your ex-fiancée." She rolled her eyes.

"Marian means nothing to me, Regina," he said, staring right into her eyes, "Absolutely nothing."

She looked to the ground, "That's not what it seemed like when you let her stay in _our_ home."

He looked to the floor now too, sighed, and said, "I know, I screwed up - extremely badly. I was stuck in the moment, you know when you're not really in control of your actions. I know that there's no room for excuses and that you don't really want to hear what I have to say, but I have to say it out loud. I need to know that you are hearing me when I say it."

She didn't reply.

So he continued, "I never realized how special what we had was until I lost it. I spent that night pacing around my room, holding that damn ring in my hand and staring at it. I punched the walls and kicked the bed, I even punched myself. I kept thinking, how stupid am I to let you go? How was I stupid enough to let Marian stay there at the cost of losing you? It didn't make sense. I felt so lost in my own house, like I never had been there before. It was like some new world that I have never experienced, and I didn't like it. I couldn't live in it. When you called earlier, Marian was throwing up. It was after her doctor's appointment. When she went to shower, I went through her purse."

"I don't need to hear about your nosey actions." She said.

He grabbed her left hand and placed the engagement ring in her palm before speaking, "And I found a file proving that the child isn't mine."

"You're not the father?" Regina looked at him now, for the first time in the entire conversation.

He curled her fingers around the ring and let her left hand fall to her side as he spoke, "No. Do what you want with this, but I can't have it in my house as a constant reminder of the time I gave up everything I ever loved."

She stared at him, fighting off the urge to just take him back right then and there. Then he nodded and turned away from her, going for the door and then stopping, "I regret it all, if you must hear me say it."

She looked to the floor.

Then he turned, "Regina, I have lived by a code my entire life: be truthful, righteous, and good. I have tried to live by that code every day of my life.  
I screwed up that day with Marian, I ruined the code. But I assure you, I will make things right someday."

"Why are you still here, Robin?" She said, looking up at him.

"Today is going to be the start of my code again," He said, "I need us to feel right. And the only way I can be sure that is-"

He ran toward her and caressed her cheek, pulling her into a passionate kiss that seemed like their worlds had once again collided and were starting up again. Their worlds were no longer crashing and ending, but they were born again, and both now get alive. Regina wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, before the need for air grew too demanding. Robin pulled back and rested his forehead on hers, staring at her eyes and smiling, "I'm sorry. I love you, Regina; I'm with you, whether you like it or not."

"I'm with you, too," she smiled, "Always."

"I guess the question is, will you accept my apology?" He asked.

She smirked, "I'll accept that and much more."

He grabbed her hand and took the ring from it, getting down on his knee and holding the ring up in the air, "Will you marry me, Regina?"

She nodded and let him slip the finger back on her finger, back to its home.

He was home.

She was his home.

And he was hers.

* * *

 **Review? I hoping Tuesday's chapter will be long. We'll see.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey everyone! Finally done with tech week; I have a break this week and then next week is another tech week for different show. I will keep updating though, that is, if you want the updates?**

 **In this chapter, you will FINALLY find out Leroy's role in Regina's life, a bit more on Regina's father, a bit more on Cora, and I have some little surprises hidden in between.**

 **Enjoy it and leave a review if you want more!**

* * *

It had been a week since the Marian incident. One week since Robin and Regina had once again promised to marry each other.

And Robin was still staying over at Regina's apartment.

He woke up and noticed that she was still sleeping. With a smile, he quietly got out of bed and wrapped a robe around his body before sneaking out of her bedroom. He came out to the living room and went out on the balcony. There was an intense anxiety to the rain, as if between the tumbling cloud and the earth it is fearful of never reaching its destination. The sound alone was enough to make him flinch, arms folded across his chest that rose and fell more abruptly than it should. The sound of this rain, so soothing to some, was enough to drown out every other noise. There are no cars, no machinery from the docks and certainly no birds. The only sound he could hear was the rattling of the rain pounding the streets and the occasional bangs of thunder.

Suddenly, he felt hands wrap around his waist. Regina inhaled his scent and kissed his cheek before coming in front of him, "It's raining, you know?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm standing under an umbrella." He laughed. She giggled and unwrapped her robe before opening the door and throwing it into the living room. Then, she stepped out from under the umbrella and swung her arms open, letting the rain consume her. The rain fell softly as if it knew of the hardships both behind and ahead. Each droplet alighted on her skin with just enough coolness to command her mind to the present, to pull her away from the pain of the past and the uncertainty of what was to come. The drops on her face, more numerous than even the freckles in her skin, joined to wash over her in a delicate placement of makeup. She raised her eyes to the grey layer that touched every mountain top, there was more to come before the skies cleared, of that she could be sure. He stared and noticed how fascinated she was with the rain.

Robin shut the umbrella and leaned it against the wall before coming behind her and spinning her into his arms. She pulled him into a long wanted, passionate kiss. He kissed her and the world fell away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest.

Then he stopped and stared at her. With a smile, he said, "We're a little wet."

"That's fine."

He pulled her to even closer to him and lowered his lips to hers once more. She closed her eyes as their lips touched, feeling a zap of electricity. She clutched desperately, never wanting this moment to end. She felt his hands pull her closer, as close as physically possible. The urgency in the kiss was unbearable. She wanted him; she wanted every fiber of his being. She ran her hands through his hair, and pulled his face to hers.

He smiled, a small trickle of laughter leaving his lips as he slowly bent toward her again, his lips grazing hers ever so softly. It was almost as if he was testing her boundary line. Her hand instinctively met the side of his cheek, slowly urging his lips harder against hers. It was as if every ounce of her wanted his lips on hers, to feel his hands as they traced the contour of her body. She pulled away ever so slightly to breathe, trying not to show just how vulnerable she seemed to be. Her gaze moved from his eyes to his lips and once more his soft lips were against hers, one hand slowly but surely tangling into her hair. Each intake of breath was another reminder of what was really happening, his cologne, the way his hands entangled in her hair, pressing her lips against his with a more urgent pace.

"Move in with me." He whispered against her lips, "Officially."

She nodded and then stole another quick kiss before pushing them both inside. They fell onto the floor of the living room, her on top of him and full of laughter. He ran his fingers through her wet hair and just stared at her for a minute.

"What?" She asked.

"You're just beautiful."

"Stop it." She blushed as she pushed herself up off of him.

"You are." He said.

She stood and helped him up as he spoke, "I have to get some groceries before we get back to the house."

"I can start packing while you're out and then when you get back, we can get moving?" She said.

"Are you sure you'll be okay without me here?"

She nodded, "Of course. Go ahead and get some food."

He kissed her one last time before leaving her in the living room. Within ten minutes, he came back into the living room, all dressed and ready to go out. He nodded toward her and she smiled, waving as he left the apartment.

She sighed contently before standing and heading into her storage closet, where there were tons of boxes, loaded and empty, ready for moving. She pulled out a box, which belonged to her father; it was full of his personals and memories. Some things were from his funeral and were packed away in that box because Regina couldn't bear to look at them after he had passed. She was stronger now though, so she started to go through it. Regina pulled out some envelopes from his desk. She had never opened them; they were all too hard to read. Just seeing her father's hand-writing would make her cry in a second. But now, she was stronger, so she could read it. At least she thought she could.

She took the piled of letters out and shuffled through them, each labeled something different: Cora, Regina, Regina's future husband, Regina's future children, Cora's future husband. Each was something meaningful toward the person it was addressed to. She separated hers, Robin's, and her future children's letters and threw away anything related to Cora.

She opened the first, which was labeled for herself. This was the moment she had waited for for a few years now. Each second she waited felt like another year of waiting. So she took a deep breath and flattened out the letter; it was a few pages.

It read:

 _My dearest daughter, Regina._

 _I know this is probably one of the the last things you ever want to have possession of in your entire life. This is probably the worst thing to have in your hands. I'm writing this in the hospital. It's April 30th. The doctor says I have about a week, then that's it. I'm scared, you know? To leave. Not for myself though. I'm more scared for you. I feel like a terrible father for leaving you alone in this cruel world, with no mother, no husband, no friend to keep you company. I feel like a terrible person for leaving you to answer any open questions that you might have by yourself. I feel like a terrible role model for leaving you without saying a proper goodbye._

 _I'm sorry for a lot, my dear. For everything I've ever done to make you upset or angry, for not getting you that doll when you were seven, for not letting you ride that horse after your mother left us. I'm sorry for not being there when the girls were making fun of you in school. I'm sorry for not studying with you because I was stuck at work, and I'm sorry for not being home on half of your birthdays because of work. I'm sorry for not being a proper father. But on top of it all, I'm sorry for not telling you the full truth when it came to your mother._

 _You see, I never told you everything about your mother leaving. I never thought you were ready for the truth. I didn't want to let you get pulled into the drama of this cruel world. I didn't want you to have to sacrifice everything you ever cared about just so you could know the truth. You were too young to truly remember what actually happened - why you're mother actually left. But, since I am only here for another seven days, I feel that it's only right that you eventually find out when you build up enough courage to read this letter._

 _Cora was a good mother. She taught you to read, to ride, to write, to sing. She brought you to school every morning and fed you pancakes when she could. She took you to the park every Friday after school so you could play in the lake and feed the birds. She even bought you your own bathing suit to wear on those special days when it was warm so you could feel important. She made sure that your teachers taught you correctly and that other people treated you nicely. She even bought you those little crackers you loved so much every time she went to buy groceries. She was the ideal mother._

 _Until you reached the age of five, she was a great mother, actually. It was about a week before your birthday. She started coming home extremely late, hours after the time she was supposed to be home from work. When I finally confronted her about it, she told me that there was more for her out there in the world. She said I was holding her back. She told me about this guy, Gold. Apparently, they had fallen in love and she was planning on leaving me for him. I told her that you would be heartbroken. I told her to stay because of you. We argued for a while about this._

 _The day after, you asked her why she was so mad. She hadn't made you pancakes that morning, she brought you to school late, she didn't even offer to bring you to the park so you play in the lake and feed the birds. You could tell that something was wrong. When I came in the door from work, you were in the kitchen beside her, you were asking her why she was upset. I saw her grip her waist, take in a heavy and angry breath, but she didn't answer you. When you asked again, she again ignored you, but this time she was so infuriated. She slapped you._

 _That was when I knew I had to finish this._

 _That night I talked to her. I told her to leave. I couldn't have her hurting my child. She had no right to slap you; you were five years old and innocent. You don't slap a child; it's not right. She got so angry that night, I remember her cursing me out and waking you up. It was almost two in the morning. She was slamming her hands against the counter tops and you came downstairs in a worried state. You were holding your blanket up to your mouth and you stood in the doorway, watching us. She slapped me that night, right in front of you, and cursed me out as she picked up her suitcase and left the house. That was the last night I saw her._

 _But that wasn't the last time I heard of her._

 _Another part of the truth that I never told you is about my work. I was never a lawyer. I never was out on cases or going to trial with my clients. In fact, I never even went to law school. I worked for a secret agency, where I met my pal Leroy. I told him everything that happened with Cora. He swore with his life that he'd always watch you. He was only a kid too, merely eighteen. But he promised that he'd do anything to protect you. And I'm sure, by the time you're reading this, he has properly fulfilled that promise. I hope that you don't push him away._

 _I also hope that your mother hasn't tried to contact you. If she ever found out about Leroy and I, or the secret agency, or even about you knowing about it all, she'd wreck it. She doesn't like not being in the loop. That was something that worried me so about her. She always knew everything, even if you didn't want her to know it. She was in on every scheme, every trick, every surprise. Cora knew everything._

 _If she has contacted you, I hope that you're safe now. I hope that you were able to escape her and not fall into her tricks. She did love you once. But I'm not so sure that she does anymore. After I kicked her out, she constantly tried to come back. She wanted to see you. She cried on the phone and yelled at me to let her see you. But I couldn't risk you getting hurt again. It wasn't an option. I banned her from seeing you. I even went to the station to get full custody of you. I cut her out of your life._

 _I'm so sorry you had to grow up without a mother. I'm sorry that you never knew why she left and that you felt abandoned all these years. I'm sorry you had to think that you were the reason she left. I'm sorry you thought she didn't love you._

 _On another note, I hope you find happiness. Regina, my love, you deserve all the happiness in the world. You are beautiful, inspiring, brilliant, talented, and an overall amazing person. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise._

 _I hope you find love. Any man that is lucky enough to call you their partner is a man that holds the world in his hands. When and if you do find love, please, give him the letter I wrote for him. You deserve love more than anyone else in this world. Since I banned your mother from you and you were forced to live a life without the love you deserved, you should get it all. You should own the whole world._

 _I hope you are happy, Regina. I hope you aren't constantly reminded of my death. I hope you aren't angry with me, now that the truth is out._

 _And please, I really hope that you love yourself._

 _With all my love and hope,_

 _Your father, Henry._

Regina wiped the tears from her face as she stared at the note. She sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in everything she had just read. With a sigh, she placed her letter and the rest on the couch. She had to finish packing, even if it meant coming back to that letter later and crying all over again.

* * *

"Regina, love?" Robin came into the apartment and called for her. She came from her bedroom and hugged him. She had her jacket on and her keys in her hand.

"I need to go somewhere," she kissed his cheek, "But I'll be back within an hour."

Before he could reply, she was out the door and the door was closing behind her.

* * *

She pulled up to the graveyard and got out of her car. With a deep breath, she came up to her father's grave and sat on the ground beside it. She took the letter out from her pocket and placed it on top of his stone, along with his favorite flowers.

Then, Regina sighed and spoke to him, "I read the letter."

A single tear fell from her eyes as she looked at the stone, "I did find happiness. I found love. There's this guy, Robin Locksley. Sure, we've been through bumps but no relationship is perfect. He is just a great guy, he loves me for me. He doesn't care about my past. He asked me to marry him and the wedding is in a week and a half. Mother isn't invited. I wish you were here to give me away."

There was an intense whisp of wind that made her hair fly across her face, "I know you'll be watching me though. I know you'll be there with me on my special day."

She curled her hair behind her ear and rubbed the letter on top of his stone, "I'm not mad at you. I hope you know that. I understand why you kept the truth, I just wish you were here to help me handle it. I feel oblivious. I wasn't able to figure it out before."

Her phone buzzed, she saw the screen flashing Robin's picture. She picked up the phone, "Hello?"

 **Are you alright?**

"Yes, of course. I'm on my way home now."

 **See you soon. I love you.**

"I love you, too."

She hung up and rubbed her father's stone before standing and whispering to it, "And I love you."

With another sigh, she turned and left his gravestone, getting into her car and driving back to her apartment, where Robin was waiting with the moving truck. She smiled as she got out, meeting him halfway across the street and hugging him tightly. Then, she looked up at him and stared lovingly before kissing him lightly.

* * *

 **Review on this beautiful chapter?**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Enjoy this everyone. Hoping that this new season of ONCE will focus on Regina's happiness and they will bring Robin back. But we all know that A &E don't run easy like that. **

**Kisses**.

* * *

"Robin, wake up." She poked his face and snickered under the blankets. He peeked one eye open and stared at her before smiling and pulling her closer.

"Good morning, my love."

"Good morning it is; I have to go over Snow's now." She said.

He groaned at her, "Let's just lie here for a little while longer."

"It's bad luck for the groom to see his bride on their wedding day before the ceremony!" She said with a laugh. Regina slid out of Robin's grasp and sat up on the bed, staring down at him and smiling.

"I don't agree with those superstitions." He pouted.

She shrugged, "I do, besides, you should have some time to yourself before you're stuck with me."

"Forever?" He said.

"And always."

Regina stood from the bed and grabbed her robe from the hanger on the door. She wrapped it around her body and put on her slippers before casting Robin another look.

"You're going like that?"

She shrugged, "Nothing like a fresh look before I get all beautified up later on."

He stood and came up to her, his hand resting on her waist and offering a light squeeze. He stared down at her lovingly, before coming down and meeting her lips with his. It was a light, but passionate, kiss - one that sealed their promise to love each other even before the official ceremony later that night. She smiled into the kiss, lightly pushing herself off his chest and looking to the floor to hide her blush.

He picked up her chin and smiled as well, "You're beautiful either way."

"Goodbye, Robin." She teased as she stepped out of his bedroom and began walking down the stairs. He held his arm out and pretended to reach for her as he pouted, but alas, she was gone before he knew it.

It was the perfect time to call David over.

* * *

She heard baby cries as she pulled up into the driveway. They were loud and overbearing, especially at 10AM. Regina stood from her car and ran to the front door, opening it and walking inside, the cries getting louder.

"Snow?"

"In here!"

Regina turned the corner and found Snow swaying with the crying child in her hands. She came over to her, and sent her an apologetic look and said, "Where's David?"

"Out with your fiancé. Apparently they had 'manly' things to do before tonight." Snow said as she rubbed the child's face with her finger, trying to shoo the tears away. Regina held out her arms to take the child from Snow, who was reluctant at first, but then just handed him over to her.

Regina bounced on her hip and hushed the baby's cries, "Mommy needs some rest, love. And you do, too."

In seconds, the baby was quiet again and was reaching for Regina's free hand. He grabbed her finger and smiled at her.

"Regina, thank you."

"Anything for you." Regina said as she swayed side to side and hummed a lullaby. The baby was sound asleep in a matter of seconds, and Snow was stunned to see it happen. Snow carefully took her son from Regina's arms and placed him in his crib, before she lead Regina out of the room and quietly shut the door behind them.

"I don't know how you do it," Snow said, "David was in such a rush to go out. He kind of just plopped the crying child on me and left."

"I'm sure he and Robin had something important to do, otherwise he wouldn't have left in such a hurry. He knows how much of a toll this baby is taking on you." Regina said as she rubbed Snow's shoulder.

Snow's eyes grew wide as she remembered why Regina was here in the first place, "Oh my goodness! It's your wedding day. You have appointments and oh my goodness-"

"Snow, if you wanna relax, I can get to the appointments by myself."

"No, no. Of course, not. I just have to call the sitter." Snow said. She dialed the phone and left the kitchen for a few minutes. Snow came back and smiled, "She'll be over in ten minutes."

And in that ten minutes, they just sat down and watched TV, occasionally speaking and laughing about the stupid commercials that were on.

Then they heard a doorbell.

Snow stood from the couch and opened the door, revealing a taller and slender woman with fuming orange hair and bright blue eyes. She came inside and eyed Regina down as Snow invited Regina o come meet the woman.

"Zelena, this is Regina," Snow said, "Regina, this is Zelena Mill-"

"Millson, Zelena Millson." The woman quickly cut in. She stuck her hand out and waited for Regina to meet it.

The two women shook hands awkwardly before Snow interrupted, "Well, we should be going. Weddings take hours to prepare for! We only have six and half hours to the dot."

"Pleasure meeting you, Zelena." Regina said as she grabbed her jacket and followed Snow to the door.

"Neal is just sleeping in the nursery. Feed him in about an hour. Thank you for coming last minute!" Sow yelled before shutting the door.

"Are you okay?" Snow asked Regina, "You two seem a little feisty."

Regina shrugged, "I don't know what it is, but I feel like I know her somehow. It's weird, but I've never seen her in my entire life."

"She moved here not too long ago, actually just before Neal was born. Right around the time of the office fire." Snow said as they got into her car.

Regina eyed her down at the mention of the fire.

"Sorry." Snow said, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Regina narrowed her eyes and nodded, "Never better. Now let's go get prepped for my wedding."

* * *

"I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do on my wedding day except maybe shave or something, so got any ideas?" Robin asked.

David laughed, "Drink a beer, relax, get into the mindset."

"Not sure that's a good idea," Robin said, "What's up with you?"

"Nothing, I don't want to bother you with my issues on your wedding day." David said.

Robin shrugged, "Can't be worse than anything I've been through."

David sighed and hen looked up at Robin, "I feel like a terrible husband. I'm never home to help Snow with Neal and even this morning, I just rushed on out of the house like she could handle it all. She probably hates me."

"Don't think too much about it. If you think she's mad, talk to her. If you think you're not doing something right, fix it. Be the better man. Don't let something become big if it's only supposed to be small." Robin said.

David patted Robin's back, "Thanks, bud. Now, how about we bring you to get a hair cut?"

"I suppose that could be a good first step for my wedding preparation?"

"Indeed it is." David said as they headed into Robin's car and to the barber shop.

* * *

"They look good, Regina." Snow said as she admired Regina's freshly painted french nails.

"Thank you," she said, "Lunch now?"

"It's already 12:30, you get married at 5. I guess that's the right decision. That way we can get your hair and makeup started around 2:30. I'll just give David a call before we go." Snow said.

Regina nodded and let Snow call David. Then she thought about Zelena and that awkward feeling she got when they met. It was more like a memory - or at least that's what it felt like. Like a reunion of some sort had been taking over her, not a first meeting.

Snow came back and said, "Boys are going out to lunch at Granny's. We can't go anywhere near there, so how about 'In and Out'?"

"The burger place? I'm in." She said.

Snow laughed as she started her car and started to drive to the new burger place down the street from the nail salon.

* * *

"Regina, just sit still please!" The woman said.

Regina pouted as the woman continued to apply her makeup, "Sorry, it just tickles a little."

"Now don't move for this part; eyeliner all over your face isn't exactly a wedding look."

Regina sighed and shut her eyes as the woman began to apply her eyeliner. She twisted her thumbs around one another and rubbed her palms - the nerves were catching up to her.

"Okay, take a breather and then I'll do the other eye." The woman said as she began to check her phone. Regina sighed contently and looked at Snow, who was on the phone with Zelena. She looked slightly worried and anxious when she hung up.

Regina reached for her hand, "What's wrong?"

"Neal is sick. He's been throwing up since we left." Snow sighed.

"I'm sorry, Snow. Go tend to him. I'll be fine on my own."

Snow shook her head, "I can't leave the bride alone on her wedding day. It isn't fair to you."

"Go deal with your son. If he's better by 4, you can still make it to pictures." Regina said.

"Are you sure, Regina?" She asked, "I don't want to be ruining your special day."

Regina shook her head, "Go. I hope he gets better."

Snow kissed Regina on the cheek and grabbed her jacket, before heading for the door and reluctantly shutting it behind her to go and tend to her sick son.

The makeup lady returned to Regina and said, "Close your eyes. It won't be long now until the hairdresser gets here."

When they finished the other eye's eyeliner, they heard a doorbell. Regina stood and opens she door, revealing a short, blonde woman with green eyes. She came in with a big smile and stuck her hand out, "Tink."

"Hello, Tink," Regina said as she noticed a woman following Tink inside with a big suitcase, "And friend?"

"Blue." The other woman said. Tink and Blue started to set up their station as Regina prepped for yet another hour of sitting still. If their time was shared wisely, they could all be finished by 3:30 and then she could get dressed, just in time for pictures. She sat down in front of the three of them and sighed before waving her hands in the air and letting them begin.

By the time they were done, it was already 3:40. Her hair was in an updo, with intricate placements of curls and some loose ends coming out. It was like a high ponytail that fell into a waterfall braid, with small curls coming out of the sides of it. She had little beads intertwined with her braid and a barrette to top it off. They also gave her a set of earrings along with a matching necklace to put on.

"My goodness, you look fabulous." Blue said.

"Absolutely stunning," Tink added.

The makeup woman he'd up a mauve pinkish color lipstick and then applied it to Regina's lips before handing her a mirror to look at the finished product. They all began to pack up their things as Regina stood and thanked them, letting them know that they were all invited and welcome to attend her event. They graciously accepted and started to head out, but Tink stayed behind.

"Your fiancé is a lucky one." Tink said.

"And why is that?" Regina replied.

Tink shrugged and picked her jacket, laying it over her arm, "You seem like a great woman, and I'm sure he is a great man. Two greats make a wonderful and a successful."

"Thank you, Tink, for everything. Will you be there later tonight?"

"I wouldn't dream of missing it." She said as she hugged Regina carefully enough not to ruin her look. Then with a smile, she headed out of her house, leaving Regina alone to get ready within the next fifteen minutes.

Regina sighed and headed upstairs to her room, taking the dress out of her closet and hanging it on the mirror. She stared at it for a few seconds before finally letting out a laugh and getting dressed. When she had it on, it felt like her future had begun. Her story with Robin was beginning.

Her phone rang.

"Hello?"

I'm heading over to pick you up. I cleared thing up with Neal. He was throwing up because of something Zelena fed him. He's fine now. Zelena is on speed dial in case something else happens.

"Are you sure? I don't want you forgetting about your child for me."

It's your wedding day, Regina. Not my son's. I'll be there in ten.

And just like Snow said, Regina heard a doorbell in ten minutes. She rushed down the stairs and opened the door, revealing Snow in her burgundy dress.

"You look great, Snow."

"And you, gorgeous, Regina."

They hugged as Snow took her hand and guided Regina into the car, "The limo is meeting us at the photo venue. Robin and David are already there."

* * *

When she stepped out of the limousine, all time she stopped. Their gazes met instinctively and didn't break for a second. At last, Robin had the opportunity to see his fiancée in all her glory - in the dress she loved, with her makeup and hair all done, with that big beautiful smile, and her eyes filled with love. She let her cheeks flush a bright red as she looked down the ground, grabbing Snow's hand and letting her lead her to Robin.

"Stunning in every way."

She bowed her head and felt her dress, "It's really something, isn't it?"

"You're really something, you know that?" He smirked.

Snow started to walk away and met David up by the gazebo.

"Stop it." She said.

He grabbed her hand and rubbed her ring finger where her engagement ring was sitting, "No, seriously, Regina. You're absolutely beautiful and everything I'd ever want in my wife and mother to my children."

"Children?"

"I may be getting a little ahead of myself, but-"

She kissed his cheek lightly, being sure not to get her lipstick on his cheek, "No, no. We really should start talking about our future."

"How about we get through today first? It's a beginning to our future."

"I think that's best-"

"Bride and groom, let's go! Wedding's in a half hour!" The photographer yelled.

So, they sealed their conversation with a kiss and then trotted over to the gazebo to take pictures for a good fifteen minutes, which was an hour too small of what they expected.

* * *

Robin stood at the altar and smiled to the family members that surrounded him. He graciously accepted their congratulations and happiness. It was a group of around seventy: his family, her family, his friends, her friends, and the entire staff at Locksley Inc.. The priest called Robin over to him and whispered, "It's a go."

Then, he rang a bell three times and began the ceremony.

"Are you ready to become Mrs. Locksley?" Snow said, extending her hand to help Regina walk to the ceremony area. She nodded gracefully and put on a smile. She followed Snow to the garden where she greeted her flower girl and her bridesmaids. The music began to play as the crowd turned. She watched as each of the couples walked down the aisle. She was getting anxious.

The flower girl had finally stepped onto the walkway and it was now Regina's turn. She stood up and walked to the path. She grasped the flowers with both of her hands and put on a big smile. The music for the bride began to play as everyone stood up and turned to her.

Regina blushed as she walked, exchanging looks with Robin, who was very excited for this. Regina stepped up on the platform where Robin was waiting, and then grabbed his hands.

"Please be seated." The priest said.

The crowd sat and all attention was on Robin and Regina.

"We are gathered here together on this beautiful evening to share with Regina and Robin as they exchange vows of their everlasting love. As Robin and Regina take their vows today, we are privileged to witness the joyous love of a new family - a family that will be nourished and nurtured through the devotion of two separate individuals growing together through the common bonds of love. May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort and contentment that is known in the hearts of all God's children. And may Robin and Regina both look forward to each new season of their marriage - just as the world looks forward to each new season of the year. For all seasons bring with them their own special moments and memories. An essential requirement of a good marriage is a strong bond of real friendship and trust. Regina and Robin, your love for each other will grow deeper with every passing day, but it's important to remember that your love stands on a foundation of genuine, mutual affection and respect for each other. To truly LOVE another person is to be willing to accept both their strong points, and their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect. The vows you are about to exchange, will serve as a verbal representation of the non-verbal emotions that are as real as anything that can be seen, heard or touched. For it is not the words that you will speak today that will bond you together as one - but the strength of the love and commitment found deep within your souls." the priest said, "I believe the two have written their own personal vows?"

A tear fell down Regina's cheek, "Ever since I met you, I felt like a piece of me has been returned. I have always thought I lived in misery; I lost my father to cancer, my mother to ignorance, my respect for myself to Daniel, and my love for myself to everything else. I never expected to ever fall in love again, let alone with you. I am inspired everyday by you to be a better person, to love myself, to love again, and I feel truly honored to be standing here about to take you as my husband. You have been my best friend, mentor, playmate, confidant and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible. You have made me a better person, as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life. So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together."

Robin smiled as his eyes grew watery, "I haven't had an easylife. I drowned myself to a low level once, but with you I feel that I can get through anything. In every situation, you were there for me. You continue to amaze me everyday; I don't know how you do half the things you do. It's incredible to me that you can deal with me for longer than a day and still want to be my wife. Today I affirm my love for you, and vow to share my life with you in everything - to respect and love you. You are the most generous person I have ever known - kind, honest, and beautiful. I take you to be my wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health from this day forward you shall be first in my heart and our souls shall be together as one."

"Robin Locksley, do you take Regina Mills to be your wife, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish her friendship and love her today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor her, laugh with her and cry with her? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." Robin smiled and squeezed Regina's hands.

"And Regina Mills, do you take Robin Locksley to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love? Will you cherish his friendship and love him today, tomorrow and forever? Will you trust and honor him, laugh with him and cry with him? Will you be faithful through good times and bad, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

"I d-" she began to say.

Suddenly, there was a faint sound of clicking heels all too familiar coming toward the ceremony. Before Regina could finish, her grip on Robin's hand tightened and her head shot to the side, noticing the group of people standing at the other end of the pathway. Snow and David stood and turned, their mouths dropping, as Robin pulled Regina toward him and stepped in front of her. The crowd turned as well, some stood and some sat.

"Cora?" Leroy said as he stood up and coughed.

"Daniel?" Regina muttered.

"Zelena?" Snow said in shock.

* * *

 **A/N: Cliffhanger? Sorry? My show is on Tuesday so you probably won't get the next update until Wednesday. Hopefully I get some reviews from this.**

 **Kisses and have a good weekend. ONCE UPON A TIME WAS RENEWED.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hello all! Enjoy this chapter. I will definitely update on Friday!**

 **Good luck!**

* * *

"Leroy, darling. How nice of you to be here and share this beautiful day with my daughter." Cora said sarcastically. She walked down the path and towards him, coming to a stop and staring at him with a wicked smile.

"Why is Zelena here?" Leroy said.

"Where's my child, Zelena?" Snow said frantically, running toward Zelena.

Zelena stuck her hand out to stop her, "Stay where you are. Your child is with my good friend, no need to worry."

"Zelena, who has him?" David said, coming behind Snow and holding his hand on his holster, where his gun lay still, "I'm the Sheriff of this town and I demand you answer my questions."

"Afraid she won't be doing that," Cora turned to the married couple and walked toward them, placing her hand on David's chest and smirking, "I'm sure we could work _something_ out that will benefit both of us."

Snow rolled her eyes and stepped in front of David while she smacked Cora's hand off of his chest, "Get away from my husband."

"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Regina said, stepping out from behind Robin. She eyed him down and then stepped forward, off the platform they were on.

Daniel pushed through Snow and David and came toward Regina. His hands were in both of his pockets and he had a sly grin on his face. His eyebrow was slightly raised and he quietly let out a snicker, "Don't act so surprised to see me."

"Why are you here?"

"I couldn't let you marry the guy." Daniel shrugged. Robin quickly came behind Regina and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward him. As she backed into Robin's embrace, Daniel continued to speak, "We both know he just isn't right for you."

"That enough, Daniel," Cora said, slowly spinning around to meet Regina's gaze, "At least for now."

Snow and David turned to watch the exchange between Cora and Regina, the crowd following them along with Zelena, Daniel, Leroy and the priest.

"I don't know why you are here, and frankly I don't want to know. Just please leave, Mother." Regina said, pleadingly.

She laughed, "Regina, you thought this was over?"

"I had put it behind me, yes." Regina muttered.

"It has only just begun," Cora said, "Just because Gold is gone doesn't mean the war is over."

"I don't want to fight in any war!" Regina yelled, "I don't know how you know Daniel or Zelena, but I really don't want any of you here, so please just leav-"

"Shut up with your pleading; it's tiring me." Cora demanded as she held out her hand toward Daniel. He took his hand out of his pocket and placed a folded up piece of paper in Cora's hand. With a smirk, she grabbed Regina's hand and stuck the paper into her palm, "Here. Enjoy your wedding day, then read this. It's dated right before your sixth birthday."

Regina stared at the paper that was now sitting in her hand as Cora backed away, taking Daniel and Zelena with her. The three abandoned the ceremony and were nowhere to be seen within the next few minutes. It remained silent for a few minutes: no one moved or spoke. Regina stood frozen, staring at the paper in her hand with her mouth gaping. Snow was clutched onto David's side, whimpering about her child. Robin was too confused and worried to care about the wedding anymore; his grip was tighter on Regina and he so badly wanted to take that paper and burn it. But the look on her face stopped him from doing so. She quickly stuffed the paper in her bra before sighing and turning to Robin. Regina then slipped past him and stepped into the platform, turning to the priest and saying, "I do. I do take Robin Locksley to be my lawfully wedded husband."

The priest, taken aback by the entire situation and Regina's urgency to tie the knot, said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Robin, who was still in the center of the aisle, turned to Regina, his arms wide open. She ran to him and crashed their lips together, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer than she had ever been. Both of her hands caressed each of his cheeks, holding his head in place as he dipped her back. Then, he lifted her and carried her down the remainder of the aisle, all the way to the limousine that was waiting at the curb. The crowd clapped and cheered, despite the worry and sadness that was overtaking them. However, Snow was crying - not because of the wedding, but because of her son's whereabouts of which she didn't know. She tried to conceal her worry, but nothing is worse than losing a child.

* * *

"Hey, how are you?"

 **I'm fine now. Neal is okay, he was just dropped off by some woman named Fiona, with a note.**

"That's good. I'm so sorry this happened to you. What was the note for?"

 **It was from Zelena. She apologized for the trouble with Neal and said David and I wouldn't be sucked into whatever mess Cora would be starting. What mess is she talking about? I can't believe that your mother is Cora. And how did you not know Zelena if she knew your mother?**

"A mess that doesn't include anyone but me. I'd rather not tell you about it, only because I don't want you to be sucked in by any means," Regina sighed through the phone, "I knew something was up when I met Zelena. I just don't know how we are connected yet."

 **Neal is crying. I have to go, but please stay safe and don't do anything stupid. And have fun - it's your wedding night! Get drunk, get laid, get happy!**

"Goodnight, Snow."

 **Goodnight.**

Regina hung up her phone and slid it into her sweater pocket. With a sigh, she stood from the couch and slipped into Robin's bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, his head in his hands and his eyes shut. When he heard her footsteps, he looked up and let a small smile form on his face, "Hey."

"Hello." She came beside him and sat down, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it lightly.

"Are you gonna read that note?" He whispered, looking down to the floor.

"I already put it away. I'm not reading it. That's what she wants me to do, and I'm not giving into her desires." Regina said.

Robin looked up at her now, "I was scared today. I didn't want to lose you, especially right before I could call you mine forever."

"Let's not think about it or talk about it." Regina said.

He shook his head, "I can't let anything happen to you."

"Let's change the subject."

"What do you have in mind?"

She pulled their connected hands up to her neck and rubbed the back of his hand on her skin, "It is our wedding night."

"You are correct." He smirked. He unlocked their hands and pulled her into a light kiss.

He bent down, his lips against her cheek, brushing it lightly - and still that light touch sent shivers through her nerves, shivers that made her whole body tremble. "If you want me to stop, tell me now," he whispered. When she still said nothing, he brushed his mouth against the hollow of her temple. "Or now." He traced the line of her cheekbone. "Or now." His lips were against hers.

"Or—"

But she had reached up and pulled him down to her, and the rest of his words were lost against her mouth. He kissed her gently, carefully, but it wasn't gentleness she wanted, not now, not after all this time, and she knotted her fists in his shirt, pulling him harder against her. He groaned softly, low in his throat, and then his arms circled her, gathering her against him, and they rolled over on the bed, tangled together, still kissing. His hands roamed around her body, yanking her sweater over her head and throwing it to the floor, her phone crashing against the hardwood. She glanced at it and then stared into his eyes, which were filled with lust. He hungrily lunged for her again, their lips crashing once more as he then retreated to her soft spot on her neck. She moaned quietly before his hands found the back of her bra and unclasped it, letting it fall onto the bed. Then she pulled his pajama pants off and he kicked them to the floor, leaving them both almost fully naked.

Then they heard a buzz.

He groaned and threw his head back in midst of the heated kiss, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Hold on one second." She muttered angrily, her core burning for inner contact. She scooted to the edge of the bed and reached for her phone, which was buzzing like crazy, "Hello?"

 **Regina.**

"Who is this?"

 **Is this Regina Mills?**

"Yes, this is she. How can I help you?" Regina said as she felt Robin's hand wrap around her waist, softly rubbing her abdomen and tracing the top of her pajama shorts.

 **Read the damn letter already.**

"Who is this?" She said, standing from the bed and away from Robin's grasp.

 **Read it.**

"Hello?"

The other side of the call had hung up. Regina sighed angrily before turning to Robin and bending down to grab her sweater, "I'm sorry, but-"

"The letter. You have to read it; go ahead." He said, rubbing his head and falling back onto the pillows.

"I'm sorry, Robin. I just have to-"

"No need for excuses. I'll be here when you're done." He said, not looking at her.

Regina looked to the floor and quietly walked out of his bedroom, before going downstairs and into the kitchen. She opened the farthest cabinet and took the cookie jar out of it, carefully opening it and taking the piece of paper out. She stared at it for a few seconds before sighing and going into the living room, where she sat in the corner recliner and opened the paper. Regina flattened it out and brought it into her vision. It read:

 _Cora Mills_

 _March 31st, 1996_

 _Regina, my sweetest daughter. Tomorrow is your 6th birthday. I haven't seen you in ten months; your father prohibited me from doing so. I am writing this to you in hopes that you find it somehow, so that you know I still do love you. I still do want to see you. Everything I have ever done was for you. Everything I intend to do is for you. Every decision I make, every place I go, every person I talk to, everything I do, is all for you. I guess that I have made some wrong choices in my life, in my time with you. I intend to make up for them, somehow, even if it means behind your father's back. I hope you are doing well and understand that I didn't leave you by choice. I would never have left you if it wasn't for your father making me. You were the light of my life. In fact, you still are._

 _With all my love,_

 _Your mother, Cora._

Regina's mouth dropped. She noticed that something was written on the back. It read:

 _Cora Mills_

 _May 5th, 2017_

 _Regina, you're supposed to get married in a few days. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of love. I promise you that it isn't worth it._

 _I know you have no reason to ever trust me, but in fact, in this situation, I am telling you the truth. Do not fall in love with Robin Locksley and do not marry the man._

 _If you wish to talk to me about my opinion on Robin or the letter you just read that is dated back in 1996, I'll be waiting at 111 Wakini Boulevard from 9pm till midnight. After that, I will leave._

 _Hope to see you there,_

 _Your mother, Cora._

Regina stared at the writing. It was written eight days ago. Eight days. She stood from the recliner and quickly ran up the stairs, throwing on some random shoes and shuffling into Robin's room. He sat up and looked at her, noticing how frantic she was, "Are you okay?"

"I'm going out, but I'll be back, alright?" She said.

"You read the letter, didn't you?"

"I have no time for this," she said as she glanced to the clock that read 11:30pm, "I have to go now."

He stood and ran to her, grabbing her hand and stopping her from moving, "This isn't a good idea."

"I can't think about good and bad decisions right now, Robin. All I can think about is that I need to be there before midnight and if I'm not, I'll go crazy." She demanded as she took her hand from him. He shook his head and reached for her, but she quickly left the room before he could grab her again.

Robin followed her down the stairs and to the front door, "This isn't smart. You could get hurt."

"You can't stop me," she said, putting on her jacket.

"Regina, please." He begged.

"I'll be back." Regina replied, kissing his cheek quickly and grabbing the car keys all in one motion, before opening the front door and running to the car.

* * *

Regina pulled up to the driveway of 111 Wakini Boulevard at 11:55pm. It gave her chills to be in the same building that Cora held her hostage in not too long ago. She locked the car and quickly ran up to the front door, knocking furiously and yelling, "Cora!"

No one answered. She reached into her pocket and took out her phone, dialing the same number that called her before and told her to read that damned letter. She let it ring and continued to knock on the door, but now one answered the door or the phone. So, she dialed again. Suddenly, she saw a shadow cast behind her.

Regina spun around and she dropped her phone, noticing that it wasn't Cora standing behind her.

It was Daniel.

* * *

 **A/N: Another cliffhanger? Wow, I guess I just love to leave you on the edge of your seats. It really stinks that their wedding was so screwed up and that they couldn't make their wedding night any fun. Guess your reviews won't be so happy?**

 **Kisses.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hello loves! Here is the next chapter update. When you read, don't stop if you don't like it. Keep going because it's all worth it.**

 **Good luck and kisses**.

* * *

"Daniel? What are you doing here?" Regina said as she backed up against the door. She felt her body hit the back as panic overtook her.

Daniel kicked her phone into the grass and strolled toward her, "I was sent to pick you up."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." She said.

Daniel rolled his eyes, "I figured you'd say that."

She froze as he came toward her, even closer than he already had been, "Go away, Daniel."

He ran his fingers down her arm and then brushed her hair out of her face, "Come with me."

"Never."

"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way," Daniel sighed and grabbed both of her wrists, "Didn't want to hurt you, but you have to come with me."

She struggled as one of his hands held both of her wrists and his other hand lifted her legs so he was carrying her bridal-style to his truck. He opened the back seat door and sat her down on the seat, holding her legs together with his legs and reaching for a rope on the floor. He tied her wrists together and then tied her legs, before quickly throwing her into the back and shutting the truck door. Then, he got into the front and began driving, "Why is such a pretty thing so feisty?"

"I will kill you." She muttered.

"You know threats don't go through me well," he snickered, "I'd watch what comes out of your mouth."

He pulled up into a random parking lot that was in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by woods and field. He got out of the car and was greeted by another man, before he motioned for him to go inside and then came to get Regina out from the back.

"I'm going to untie your legs so you can walk," he said, "But don't think I'm pitying you in any way."

Daniel untied her legs and threw her up to stand in front of him, pushing her forward and into the big garage building in front of them. She struggled to continue walking forward, so he had to continue pushing her, "Stop resisting it, Regina. You're here and no one knows it. No one is coming to your rescue."

"You're such an ass." She whispered under her breath.

"What was that-"

"You're late." Cora's voice rang out in the hallway as they heard clicking of heels coming toward them. Cora appeared at the end of the hallway, Zelena behind her, and she had a smile on her face.

"Let go of me, Daniel; you're hurting me." Regina said.

Daniel tightened his grip, but Cora held her hand in the air, "Daniel."

He threw Regina to the ground, the impact causing her to cough as she sat up on her knees and looked up to her mother, "Cora, what the hell? I came to see you and I get this idiot instead? This is exactly why I don't trust you."

"Be careful what you say, darling, I'm not in the mood for any sass tonight." Cora said as she came toward Regina, "I'm surprised you actually read the letter - on your wedding night no less. Where is the bold and charming Robin Locksley anyways?"

"He's home," she said, "I told him I'd be back soon."

"Don't think you'll fulfill that promise." Zelena muttered under her breath.

Regina struggled to stand, but finally did, "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"Should I tell her or are you going to?" Zelena said to Cora.

Cora shrugged and let Zelena continue, "My name is Zelena Mills. I am your sister."

"What the actual hell is going on? I don't have a sister-"

"You do, and this is her." Cora said. Regina's mouth dropped as she walked up to Cora and said, "You had another daughter?"

Cora nodded.

"With Gold?" Regina said, "Is that why you continued to work with him and plot revenge against me? You couldn't have me so you have another daughter and turn her into a monster like yourself?"

"Just because Gold is the father and I had another child doesn't mean I love you any less." Cora said as she touched Regina's arm. Regina stepped back out of Cora's touch and stared at her furiously.

"Why do you want me here, Cora? You want to hurt me more than you already have? You want to crush me to my lowest level? You want to bury me to the ground with every little secret you have? Is that why Daniel is here?" Regina said.

Cora turned on her heel and grabbed a chair, "Sit and let me speak."

Regina reluctantly sat down, her wrists now burning from the ropes, "Go ahead."

"Ever since I left you, or I was forced to leave you, I have had this gravitational pull to find you and love you and call you my family. Your father never knew, but, I watched you at the park. I saw how much you missed sitting on my lap and feeding those birds. He took away the swimsuit I bought you so you would forget about me," Cora sighed as she shooed Daniel and Zelena out of the room, "I was always there with you, even if you didn't know it."

"That's not creepy in the slightest bit." Regina muttered.

Cora stopped and looked at her, "Stop interrupting me."

Regina just rolled her eyes.

Cora continued, "I saw how happy you were with Daniel in college, that's why I have contacted him and he is with me now. I was trying to make you happy by bringing him here for you."

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"What?" Cora said.

"Did you ever stop watching me?"

Cora nodded, "When you started working for Locksley Inc.."

"Well, if you had really cared, you would've known that after I was hired there, Daniel tried to rape me," she sighed, "Twice."

"You're lying; I don't believe you."

"I guarantee that if you left me in an empty room with him he would take advantage of me," she replied, "I promise you."

"I don't believe you, Regina. And I don't appreciate liars." Cora shrugged.

Regina stood up and stared at Cora, "Do it and see what happens."

"Don't tempt me young lady," Cora warned, "Because I will do it."

"You won't because you don't believe me." Regina said.

"Daniel!"

He came rushing through the door and stopped right in front of Cora, nodding, "Yes?"

"Accompany Regina for the rest of the night. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere. I'll be back in the morning." Cora said as she walked to the door.

Regina ran towards her but Daniel grabbed her arm to stop her from going any farther, "Cora, don't leave me with him! Please! Cora!"

"She doesn't care about you." Daniel whispered.

"Mother!" Regina yelled.

Then the door slammed shut, leaving her alone and tied up, in a room with just Daniel.

* * *

"Stop staring at me, it feels weird." Regina said. Her voice echoed through the empty room.

"You enjoy it." Daniel smirked as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He pushed his body off the wall and slowly came toward her. She was still sitting in the same chair from an hour earlier and she had not shifted from her position. Her hands were still tied, her legs not. When he was just about a foot away from her, he spoke again, "Are you cold?"

Taken back by his kind tone, Regina responded, "No, of course not."

"Are you hot?"

She shrugged and shook her head, "No."

Daniel lifted his hand and felt her forehead, "You're burning up."

"I am not." Regina said.

He took his hand off of her forehead and untied her wrists, taking one of her hands and resting it on her forehead with his, "See?"

She was burning up. She raised an eyebrow when he let go of her hand, letting them both fall into her lap, "I guess I am a little hot."

Daniel motioned for her to come sit on the floor with him in the corner of the room. He leaned on his elbows, which were leaning on his knees, and he stared at her, waiting for her to accompany him.

Regina slowly stood from the chair, reluctantly walked towards Daniel, and sat down next to him in silence. Neither of them talked until Daniel caught eyesight of Regina's ring. He took her left hand in his and stared at the jewel that sparkled on her finger, "It's magnificent."

"It is."

"Does he really take good care of you?" Daniel asked, still staring at the rock on her finger.

All she did was nod.

"Do you love him?" He said, finally letting go of her hand and looking up at her.

"I do." Regina said, taking her hand and letting it intertwine with her other hand in the middle of her lap.

He stared at her in silence for a few moments and then let out a long sigh, "Lucky man."

Regina raised her eyebrow again, now even more suspicious than she already had been. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and noticed that when she did so, Daniel stared longingly at her lips and then back at her eyes. She said, "What are you trying to get at here, Daniel?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What's up? What do you want from me?" She stood up now.

He followed her up and glared at her angrily, "I was trying to be nice."

"Why are you all of a sudden angry?" Regina said, her hands finding the wall behind her and grabbing ahold of it.

With one step, he was in her personal space, and she was against the wall and cornered. He had grown taller since their last confrontation and looked like he had been working out extremely since the last time they talked. It was overwhelming.

Regina began to breathe heavily, "Daniel, let's not do this. Let's not fight."

"All I ever wanted in life was to love and be loved. Is that so hard for me? Why is it that everytime I try to love, I never get loved back?" Daniel said, his hand coming up to each side of her body and trapping her in between him and the wall.

She panicked, "Someone will love you someday, Daniel. I just can't be that person."

"You need to be that person."

There was a moment of silence as Regina's eyes darted around the dimmed room, trying to find ways to escape. He grabbed one of her wrists and growled at her, "You're not going anywhere."

"Just give it a rest already, Daniel. Accept the fact that I'll never love you and I'll never be with you. I'll never be your wife, I'll never have your kids. I'll never say 'I love you' and I will never in a million years leave the man I love more than anything for a scumbag like you." Regina said.

So, Daniel snapped. His free hand grabbed her other wrist and she struggled to run free, but it was no use. She kicked his legs but he stood strong, holding her entire body against the cold wall and slowly coming towards her face. He freezes, just close enough so she can feel his breath on her lips, before staring at her with dark desire in his eyes and then plunging in for a kiss.

"Daniel!" Regina yelled, "Stop!"

He parted from the kiss and smile wickedly, his hand opening to hold both of her wrists as the other hand worked to pull off her ring and throw it to the floor.

She cried bloody murder, "Stop it, Daniel! Please!"

"You asked your mother for me to accompany you; you must've wanted me here." He smirked as he grabbed her chin and kissed her again, her legs still kicking his.

"Cora!" She yelled.

Daniel laughed, "She's not coming back."

"Cora!"

"Shut up."

"Mother!"

The door swung open and the clicking sound of heels came to a sudden stop. Cora stood in the doorway with her hand on her hip and said, "Regina, could you stop yelling? I'm trying to be some-"

Daniel turned and made eye contact with Cora as her mouth dropped open, "Daniel Courter, get off of my daughter this instant."

He smirked and leaned closer to Regina's face, grabbing ahold of the bottom of her sweater and letting his warm breath hit her neck, "This isn't over, if you know what I mean."

Then, he quickly backed off of her, turning and staring at Cora, "Is there a reason you're back so soon? It's merely 4AM."

"Yeah, I heard my daughter screaming bloody murder in my dreams." Cora said, strutting towards him and grabbing ahold of his collar. She pulled him toward her and then pushed him to the wall, sending him a gruesome glare. Cora's hands found Regina's cheek as she cocked her head to the side and stared at her daughter.

"Thank you." Regina muttered.

"I'm not in the mood for an 'I told you so' right now." Cora sassed back as she pulled Regina into her embrace - something that had never happened before. Regina was taken back by Cora immediate affection and reluctantly hugged her back. She final gave in and wrapped her arms around her mother's body because anything - anything was better than sharing the same space with Daniel and Daniel alone.

* * *

An hour later…

Regina sat silently on the couch with her hands folded. Cora came to sit beside her and held out Regina's phone, "I found this on the porch at the building. It's been buzzing for hours, probably your loving husband."

Her eyebrow raised as Regina slowly picked up the phone, noticing the forty nine missed calls and thirty six messages from Robin from the past five hours. She stared at the phone screen and then back up at Cora, who smiled and said, "Call him, it's fine. I know you don't want to be here any longer."

Regina looked down at her phone again, sighing and then looking back up at Cora and placing the phone in her lap, "Thank you for earlier."

"I should never have let him in that room with you. I'm so sorry," Cora said, her eyes finding the ground, "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know." Regina replied solemnly. She played with her fingers and stared at the jewel that was now returned to its home. Something about Cora's demeanor had changed when she caught Daniel. She wasn't acting the way she always did - proud, selfish, and ignorant.

Cora sighed, "Regina, can I ask you something?"

She nodded.

"If I never left you and Henry when you were little," Cora said as she looked up and met Regina's gaze, "Would you still hate me as much as you do right now?"

Regina's mouth dropped as her eyes started to dart around the room. Cora noticed her suddenly starting to fumble with her fingers again. Regina stopped and finally looked at Cora again, bit her lip, and spoke, "If you evolved into the same person you are now, yes."

Cora sunk in her position, the answer Regina gave had crushed her, "I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you or hurt anyone. I just wanted my daughter back."

"Burning down a building, kidnapping me, abusing me, threatening me and my husband, sending people to jail, working with Daniel, deceiving me," Regina said, "That's not how you get your daughter back."

"I needed your attention. I know it's no excuse, especially because some of the things I did will leave you permanently scarred. I deserve whatever fate is given to me," Cora said, "I'm just so sorry. I wanted my family back."

"There were other ways, Mother." Regina said calmly.

Cora grabbed Regina's hands and squeezed them, "I wanted you here last night because I wanted to tell you that I was leaving. For good."

"What?"

"I'm moving out of the country. My friend got a new job out in Italy, so I'm bunking with her for a while until I can get out of my own. I know it's for the best - for me and for you."

Regina shook her head, "You're leaving?"

"You deserve to be free of me. You deserve love, happiness, a family. You deserve it all, Regina," she said, with watery eyes, "I never realized how special you were until this very moment. Henry, bless him, was so lucky to watch you grow up. He had the opportunity to bring you to school dances, dress you for prom, feed the birds with you, meet your friends. Robin, who I now think is fitting enough for my daughter, is a lucky man to get to spend the rest of his life with you. He gets to help you grow as an individual, as a wife, and a mother. You get to experience things with him that you can't with anyone else - and that is something beautiful on its own. I wish that things work out for you in every possible way, and if Fate by some chance pulls us back together, then it will be at the right time rather than the wrong. I love you so much, and even if you don't return that love, I will always love you and will always be proud to call you my daughter."

Regina didn't know what to say, except, "Good luck with everything."

"Go home now, there's a cab waiting for you outside." Cora said as she stood and wiped away the tears that escaped from her eyes. She turned away as Regina stood up and began to walk towards the door, Regina slowly following her. Regina's hand landed on Cora's back and rubbed it lightly, offering her a small smile as she stepped out of the building.

Cora smiled and they finally shared a moment that actually proved they still somewhat loved each other - a moment that proved all would somehow be okay. Then, Regina got into the cab and started on her way home to her husband.

* * *

 **A/N: Before you complain, no, Regina didn't "accept" Cora's apology, but she did accept the fact that time can heal all wounds. She knows that Cora was wrong, in every way, but she also knows that Cora is also human, and every human is capable of true love.**

 **Cora's gone though.**

 **The next chapter will probably be up soon. Until then, review this please!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Be sure to read the note at the end of this, it's extremely important to your future.**

 **Enjoy this.**

* * *

It was 6AM. Regina opened the front door and trudged inside, shutting it behind her quietly and placing her keys on the holder. She slipped her shoes off and rubbed her head, before noticing that the kitchen light was on. She cautiously made her way through the living room and peeked inside the kitchen, finding Robin sitting at the counter with his head in his arms. He was in a dead sleep.

Regina went over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and the other on his cheek, rubbing it softly with her thumb and smiling. Then, she placed a light kiss on his forehead and noticed the empty bottle of wine and the broken wine glass on the floor. She sighed but went to clean it up. Without being quiet, she cleaned up the broken pieces of glass and threw them away, leading to Robin stirring on the counter. He breathed out heavily as she poured the last remains of the glass into the trash can and washed her hands.

Robin lifted his head slowly and rubbed his eyes, yawning in the process. When his vision became clear, he raised an eyebrow and then both of his eyes widened as he stood and ran over to her. Regina suddenly was pulled into his embrace, a tight hug that seemed like it lasted for hours. He held her tight, painting the picture that he'd never let her go ever again.

"Regina-"

"I know, Robin." She said as she rubbed his back, "Before you say it, I know I was wrong to go out last night. I'm sorry."

"I wasn't going to say 'I told you so' or anything like that," he said as he pulled away from the hug, his hand finding the bottom of her chin as he smiled, "I wanted to say that I love you."

She felt her cheeks turn red as she smiled back at him, "I love you, Robin, beyond what words can express. And I'm so sorry that I ran out on our wedding night, I didn't answer your calls or texts, I worried you and I didn't-"

"Stop." He said as he pulled on her chin and kissed her lips lightly, "All I care about is that you're alright. And you are, right?"

"I am." She nodded.

"Then spare me the details, unless you want to talk about it." He said.

"I'd rather not." She shrugged and looked to the floor.

He picked up her him yet again to meet her gaze, "Hey. Cora's not going to hurt you anymore, not while I'm around."

"She moving to Italy, so you won't have to worry about her anymore." Regina said, suddenly feeling an ache in her heart that she never thought she'd feel for Cora.

He caressed her cheek, rubbing it softly with his thumb as he said, "And Daniel? Zelena? Gold's still in jail?"

Regina sighed heavily and leaned her back against the countertop, "Daniel bolted; he's most likely still in town so I have to watch my back. And Zelena, I really don't think she wanted to do any of this; my mother was just ordering her around."

"You think you're safe or should I call the police and warn them?"

"I've already talked to David. He's keeping all eyes on me, you, and the house." She nodded.

He nodded with her and then took her hands in his, suddenly noticing that something was definitely wrong with her, "What's up? Let's sit and talk."

"Let's go somewhere; let's get out of this town for a bit." She said.

"Honeymoon? Where do you want to go? Anywhere," he smiled, "You name it, I'll take you there."

She looked up to the ceiling and then met his gaze, "I've always wanted to go to Puerto Rico, I hear that there's this town called Culebra and it's absolutely beautiful. I read about it in college and I've wanted to go there since."

"Then Culebra, Puerto Rico, it is!" He stated, "When do you want to go?"

"As soon as possible."

"I'll get tickets for tomorrow night?"

She nodded and smiled big before he pulled her into his embrace again and said, "We're gonna be free and we're finally gonna have some alone time."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked, "I am deprived of alone time so we should take advantage of it while we still have it."

* * *

 _Later that day…_

"Robin, do you know where my black bathing suit it? I've been looking everywhere and I can't-"

She came into the doorway and saw Robin standing in the middle of his bedroom with his arms crossed. He had a small smirk on his face, one that made her positive that he was hiding something. She cocked her head to the side in confusion as his smirk grew bigger. Robin stepped aside and let her gaze set on the bathing suit she was looking for, which had been lying on the bed the entire time she was searching for it. She sighed and rolled her eyes, coming towards the bed and reaching for the suit, but before she could do so, Robin stepped back in front of it.

"Can I help you?" Regina said sassily.

Robin uncrossed his arms and nudged her a bit, "How many bathing suits are you packing?"

"Just the one." Regina shrugged.

He nodded in response, "Hm, alright. I guess I approve."

"You guess?" She raised an eyebrow as her hand found her hip.

Robin let both of his hands rest on her waist as he pulled her closer to him, raising his own eyebrow and letting that same damn smirk form on his face, "I would prefer if you wore nothing at all."

"In public, I must wear something, so no other man can take advantage of what you already deserve," then she smirked with him, "But in our own time, in our room, perhaps."

"Regina, my god. Let me take you right here." He whispered against her lips.

She licked her lips and looked up at him, "I'd enjoy that, but duty calls. I have to stop by the office and see Snow."

"The office?" He said.

"You filed our absence requests, right?"

Robin nodded.

Regina cleared her throat and then slipped out of his grasp, grabbing the bathing suit in the same motion, and then winked at him as she ran out of the room. He continued to pack as he heard the front door open and close.

* * *

She stood out of the car and puckered her lips as she applied a new layer of lipstick. With a deep inhale, she lowered her sunglasses and took a good look at the springtime festivities that were going on across the street from Locksley Inc.. As she shut the car door, she slipped her phone out from her pocket, checking the time, which was 2:45pm, and then slipped it back in. Her free hand then found her hair and ran through it to give her hair a voluminous look. Then, she turned on her heel and started for the front door, slipping her sunglasses back into their original place and clearing her throat. Regina hadn't felt this good since the first few weeks she had begun working there. She felt alive and like a new woman. Of course, this woman had the memories of what had recently happened to her, but she was a new and alive woman. When she reached the front door, she opened it and slipped inside the building, coming to a complete stop and eyeing the first person she saw. Then, she sat on her hip and dangled her car keys in her fingers, before taking her sunglasses off with her free hand and smiling at Snow. Her smile was big and genuine, and Regina felt as if a piece of her had been returned now that she was seeing Snow happy and alright.

"Regina, how are you?" Snow ran into her and wrapped her arms around Regina's body, "Are you okay? Is Robin okay?"

"I am fine, _we_ are fine. Everything is over," Regina said, hugging her back.

Snow sighed contently and then looked at Regina, "Damn, you look good. Any special occasion?"

"Actually," Regina said as she ushered Snow to the side of the hallway, "Robin and I have decided to go on our honeymoon. Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" Snow exclaimed.

"Shhh."

"Tomorrow?" Snow whispered.

Regina laughed, "Yes, that's why our absences are filed for a week. We're going to Puerto Rico."

"Well, you two better have fun. You deserve some time away from this crazy nonsense that's been going on. Why did you need to stop by here?" Snow asked.

"I just have to pick something up from my office," she sighed, "God, I feel like I haven't been here in ages. It's only been a month, but it'll feel good to get back to work when we return home."

Snow hugged her again, "Well, I don't want to hold you up. Have a fabulous time and text me!"

Regina smiled as she waved goodbye to Snow, before she flipped her hair and walked to the elevator. When she made it to her floor, she slipped out of the elevator, before strutting to her office and slipping her key into the lock. She opened the door and stepped into the dark room, inhaling the sweet scent of her apple cinnamon air freshener. She flicked the lights on and shut the door behind her, placing her bag on the floor and then straightening her body to walk again. Regina eyed down the desk, which she hadn't sat in or been near in a month, and then walked towards it with her hands in front of her. She let them land on the glass surface and then skim down to open the bottom drawer. Inside, she grabbed her camera, which had been sitting there for quite some time. In addition to the camera, she pulled out some flash drives to save the photos she took. When she kicked the drawer shut, her gaze fell on that same purple tape dispenser that Robin had tempted her with way back when.

Memories flashed back into her mind when she touched it, like it had been waiting for her all this time. She let out a content sigh as she tightened her grip on it, stuffing it in her bag, along with her camera and flash drives and a smirk on her face. She stood back up and took her sunglasses out from the side pocket, putting them on her face and then reapplying yet another layer of lipstick. Then, she stepped out of her office and locked the door, making her way down to the lobby.

"Regina, looking good." She heard John say from behind her. She lowered her sunglasses a little and eyed him before he spoke, "Robin's lucky."

She put her sunglasses back in place before turning around and bumping into Leroy, "Have fun on your honeymoon, Regina."

Her mouth dropped, "How did you-"

"Snow."

Regina's gaze met Snow's as Snow yelled across the lobby, "You know I'm not good at keeping secrets!"

With a laugh, Regina returned her attention to Leroy and said, "Don't come back unless you're ready to work. Big cases coming ahead."

"Thank you, Leroy, for everything. I'll keep in touch."

"Please, don't. I don't want to hear about your lovely life in Puerto Rico while I'm stuck here cleaning the floors." He laughed.

She smiled and hugged him before leaving him, Snow, and the rest of the staff in the building while she strutted to her car and began to drive home, where Robin would surely be waiting for her.

* * *

"I'm back!" Regina yelled through the empty hallway as she stuffed the things she got from her office into the suitcase that was by her feet. She slipped her heels off and went up the stairs, going straight to Robin's bedroom.

He stared at her as she opened the door. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching TV.

"I am back." She said again.

"How was your visit?"

She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair, before coming to stand in front of him, "It was fine. You okay? You seem off."

"I'm fine." He shook his head and smiled at her, "Trying to relax myself before we go away tomorrow night. It's only 14 hours before we leave."

She smiled back at him as she patted his best lightly and said, "Ah, 14 hours. I'm done packing, are you?"

He pulled her to him, "Been done since the morning."

She kissed his lips lightly, in an effort that may have been more demanding and planned than sporadic. Her hands found his shoulders as she sat on his lap, his arms wrapping around her waist to hold her steady. The ghost remained of her lips on his, but the desire only grew more tempting. He didn't dare break eye contact. She kissed him again and then let their forehead rest on one another's. There was a few moments of silence, where they both had time to finally realize what they had.

It was a time to accept everything they've been through and still find the space to love one another unconditionally.

It was a time that neither husband nor wife could forget about the memories they've shared or the things they've carried together.

It was a time where all that mattered was love. And that love was the one thing that would keep them going - going until they're grey and old and 'til death do them part.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **So I have two options here. I can continue this story on this page, make it something like 50 chapters and then completely end it. OR I could end this story here and create a sequel as another fanfiction. Either way, you guys get a continuation of what I have written for the past 20 chapters.**

 **I already have the plot designed for the sequel and yes, it will include Robin and Regina along with some surprise guests. I have the title for it if you choose for it to be a separate fanfiction. It's quite clever if I do say so myself.**

 **Like I said, either way you'll get the part 2 of this story.**

 **Leave a review with your opinion, please.**

 **Until then, don't know if my next update will be here or under a new title.**

 **Kisses.**


	21. Goodbye & Thank You :)

Hello everyone! It's been a pleasure to provide you with the interesting and bumpy path we call, "Mr. Locksley"! I appreciate each and every one of my readers, even the ones who didn't really care for this story.

I have chosen to create a sequel to this story, which will be called, "Daddy Locksley". I have included a summary below:

Five years after their honeymoon in Culebra, Robin and Regina are yet again faced with the challenges of being in a relationship. With both of them still working at Locksley Inc, and the confrontation of new people and new problems, the two are put at the edge of something new - perhaps the edge of glory?

In "Daddy Locksley", see what it really takes to become a family and stay a family, even through the hardships and obstacles they thought they had overcome.

Rated M, for obvious reasons.

I really hope you all choose to read it and follow me with my future stories. I plan to update the new story at least once a week and the chapter will range from 4000-7000 words. I have a good feeling about this sequel, so I hope you can put your faith in me and give the story a chance.

Until then, kisses.

TL :)


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